Deposited But Not Delivered: India's Mountain of Unclaimed MACT Compensation

The scale of the problem

Motor Accident Claims Tribunals (MACTs) were designed as a fast-track remedy: insurers deposit court-awarded compensation; families withdraw it to rebuild their lives. In practice, an audit across five High Court jurisdictions reveals nearly ₹1,000 crore deposited but never disbursed. Every rupee belongs to a household that has already lost a breadwinner.

Why awards go unclaimed

• Lost track

  Families relocate, change phone numbers, and lose contact with their advocate.
• Procedural fog

  Withdrawal requires affidavits, identity proofs, and bench appearances most claimants cannot navigate.
• Advocate dependency

  Awards routed through counsel sometimes never reach the named beneficiary.
• No outreach

  Tribunals do not actively trace claimants once an award is passed.

What families experience

Field interviews across UP, Bihar and Maharashtra found that most bereaved families did not know an award had been passed in their favour. Of those that did, the majority gave up after one or two failed visits.

Fixes the system needs

The road ahead

A standardised national MACT disbursal protocol — built once, deployed across states — would convert ₹1,000 crore of dormant compensation into real relief for families. The legal victory has already been won. What remains is delivery.