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2005 DIGILAW 1170 (ALL)

JABIR v. MOTOR ACCIDENTS CLAIMS TRIBUNAL/district JUDGE, MORADABAD

2005-07-07

ARUN TANDON

body2005
ARUN TANDON, J. ( 1 ) HEARD Mr. Vishesh kumar Gupta, learned counsel for the petitioner. ( 2 ) THE petitioner, Jabir, claims himself to be the owner of Tata 407 vehicle bearing registration No. UP 23-4016. The said vehicle met with an accident resulting in death of one Ram Prasad, son of Pooran singh. The dependants/legal heirs of the deceased, Ram Prasad, initiated proceed-ings for compensation under section 166 of Motor Vehicles Act, which were regis-tered as Motor Accident Claims Petition no. 11 of 2003 (Chandra Pal v. Jabir ). The aforesaid motor accident claims petition was decided under judgment and order of motor Accidents Claims Tribunal/district judge, Moradabad dated 28. 10. 2004. The relevant portion of the said judgment reads as follows: "yachika anshtah virudh vipakshigan ish had tak sweekar ki jati hai. Yachigan beema company vipakshi sankhya 2 sey 2,40,000 rupaye (do lakh chalish hajar rupaye) pratikar may vyaj 8 pratishat sadharan vyaj ki dar sey yachika ki tithi sey ta adayagi paney key adhikari hain. Pratikar ki dhanrashi meyn sey 30,000: 30,000 rupaye maye vyaj mritak Ram prasad ki putriyon Kumari Pravesh, kumari Lokesh, Kumari Shashi, Kumari adesh vaputra Sateyndra prateyk key naam kramshah ek varsh, teen varsh, panch varsh, saat varsh yani unkey vyashk honey tak key liye kishi rashtriyakrit bank meyn samyavadhi yojana key antargatjama rahengey. Shesh dhanrashi yachi sankhya 1, 2 va 3 prateyk 30,000 + 30,000 rupaye may vyaj nakad paa sakengey. Pakshkar apana apana vaad vyay swayam vahan karengey kintu beema company ki policy ki sharton ka ulanghan honey key karan ukt dhanrashi beema company vipkashi sankhya 1 sey vashool kar sakeygi. " ( 3 ) IT is not in dispute that the petitioner was also one of the defendants in the aforesaid claim petition and the matter was contested on his behalf and thereafter award has been made. ( 4 ) THE insurance company deposited the money in terms of the award dated 28. 10. 2004 and thereafter initiated proceedings against the petitioner for recovery of the amount so paid in terms of the said award as quoted hereinabove, the case was registered as Execution Misc. Case No. 3 of 2004. ( 4 ) THE insurance company deposited the money in terms of the award dated 28. 10. 2004 and thereafter initiated proceedings against the petitioner for recovery of the amount so paid in terms of the said award as quoted hereinabove, the case was registered as Execution Misc. Case No. 3 of 2004. ( 5 ) AT this stage the petitioner has approached this court by means of the present writ petition for the following reliefs: " (a) Issue a writ, order or direction in the nature of certiorari quashing the order dated 28. 10. 2004 passed by the motor Accidents Claims Tribunal/district judge, Jai Prakash Nagar in M. C. A. No. 11 of 2003, Chandra Pal v. Jabir against the petitioner; (b) Issue a writ, order or direction in the nature of mandamus not to recover the amount in Execution Misc. Case No. 3 of 2004 New India Assurance Co. Ltd. v. Jabir pending in court of Motor Accidents claims Tribunal/district Judge, j. P. Nagar against the petitioner; (c) Issue any other writ, order or direction which this Honble court may deem fit and proper in the circumstances of the case; (d) Award the cost of the petitioner in favour of the petitioner. " ( 6 ) IN the opinion of the court both the reliefs (a) and (b) prayed for by the petitioner are totally misconceived, inasmuch as if petitioner is aggrieved by the award of the Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal, to which he was one of the defendants, it is open to the petitioner to file an appeal in accordance with the provisions of Motor vehicles Act before the Honble High court. So long as the award of the Tribunal is not interfered with on an appeal filed by the party aggrieved, the same has to be executed in accordance with law. ( 7 ) IT is, however, contended on behalf of the petitioner that the petitioner does not answer the description of aggrieved party and, therefore, the appeal is legally not maintainable. ( 8 ) IN the opinion of the court the contention so raised by the petitioner is totally misconceived. ( 7 ) IT is, however, contended on behalf of the petitioner that the petitioner does not answer the description of aggrieved party and, therefore, the appeal is legally not maintainable. ( 8 ) IN the opinion of the court the contention so raised by the petitioner is totally misconceived. ( 9 ) FROM the award of the Motor Accidents claims Tribunal passed in the motor accident claims petition, it is apparent that the petitioner, has been held responsible to reimburse the payment made by the insurance company as the condition of the policy has been breached and he, therefore, answers the description of aggrieved party so as to maintain an appeal under section 173 of the Motor Vehicles Act. ( 10 ) ON behalf of the petitioner reliance has been placed upon a judgment of Kerala high Court in the case of Wilson v. Lalitha bai Amma, 2005 ACJ 166 (Kerala); as well as of the judgment of the Honble Apex court in the case of United India Insurance co. Ltd. v. Rajendra Singh, 2000 ACJ 1032 (SC ). ( 11 ) IN the opinion of the court both the aforesaid judgments relied upon by the petitioner have no application in the facts of the present case. ( 12 ) IT is further contended on behalf of the petitioner that availability of alternative remedy is not absolute bar. In support thereof the petitioner has placed reliance upon the judgment of Honble Rajasthan high Court in the case of Tipu v. New india Assurance Co. Ltd. , 2004 ACJ 1624 (Rajasthan ). The legal proposition laid down in the aforesaid judgment is not in dispute. However, in the facts of present case this court is satisfied that the remedy available to the petitioner is statutory and efficacious. Therefore, the relief (a) as prayed for by the petitioner cannot be granted. As a matter of fact the judgment of Honble Supreme Court in the case of narendra Kumar v. Yarenissa, 1998 ACJ 244 (SC), supports the view which has been taken by this court. Therefore, the relief (a) as prayed for by the petitioner cannot be granted. As a matter of fact the judgment of Honble Supreme Court in the case of narendra Kumar v. Yarenissa, 1998 ACJ 244 (SC), supports the view which has been taken by this court. Relevant portion of the aforesaid judgment in the case of narendra Kumar (supra) is quoted herein below: " (6) To take a view that the owner is not an aggrieved party because the insurance company is liable in law to answer judgment would lead to an anomalous situation in that no appeal would lie by the tortfeasors against any award because the same logic applies in the case of a driver of the vehicle. The question can be decided a little differently. Can a claim application be filed against the insurance company alone if the tortfeasors are not the aggrieved parties under section 110-D of the Act? The answer would obviously be in the negative. If that is so, they are persons against whom claim application must be preferred and an award sought for otherwise the insurer would not be put to notice and would not be liable to answer the judgment as if a judgment-debtor. Therefore, on first principle it would appear that the contention that owner of a vehicle is not an aggrieved party is unsustainable. That is the view taken by the High Court of Allahabad in United India Fire and Genl. Ins. Co. Ltd. v. Gulab Chandra Gupta, 1985 acj 245 (Allahabad) and Oriental Fire and Genl. Ins. Co. Ltd. v. Rajendra Kaur, 1989 ACJ 961 (Allahabad), as well as the High Court of Kerala in K. R. Visa lakshi v. Pookodan Hamza, 1989 ACJ 600 (Kerala), that commends us. (7) For the reasons stated above, we are of the opinion that even in the case of a joint appeal by the insurer and owner of offending vehicle if an award has been made against the tortfeasors as well as the insurer even though an appeal filed by the insurer is not competent, it may not be dismissed as such. The tortfeasor can proceed with the appeal after the cause-title is suitably amended by deleting the name of the insurer. The tortfeasor can proceed with the appeal after the cause-title is suitably amended by deleting the name of the insurer. " ( 13 ) SO far as the relief (b) is concerned, the same is consequential action taken in terms of the award of the Motor Accidents claims Tribunal dated 28. 10. 2004, which has not been challenged by the petitioner despite aggrieved being the party in accordance with law and, therefore, no case for interference against the proceedings initiated for execution of the lawful award of the Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal cannot be entertained. ( 14 ) IN view of the aforesaid the present writ petition is dismissed. Petition dismissed. .