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2008 DIGILAW 1280 (RAJ)

Oriental Insurance Company Ltd. v. Smt. Mani.

2008-05-08

MANAK MOHTA

body2008
JUDGMENT 1. - This appeal is directed against the judgment and award dated 3.8.1994 passed by the learned Judge, Motor Accident Claims Tribunal, Dungarpur in MACT Case No. 54 of 1989 whereby; the learned Judge has allowed the claim petition in favour of claimants while holding the responsibility of non-claimant-appellant for the payment of compensation jointly and severally with the owner of the vehicle and has awarded a total compensation of Rs. 1,10,000/- plus interest @ 12% per annum from the date of filing the claim petition. 2. Briefly stated the facts of the claim petition are that on 23.11.1988, at about 4.30 p.m., deceased Gulab was going to his house while sitting in the Truck No. RJJ 3209. It was further alleged that the deceased Gulab, after paying the fare to the truck driver, sat in the said Truck along with other persons. The truck was being driven by Veer Mal rashly and negligently at high speed on the turn of Mandav Mines, and due to that Gulab sprang out from the truck ,got insured and he became unconscious. He was brought to Government Hospital, Sagwara, where he was declared dead. An FIR No.170/88 at P.S. Ganeshpur was registered under Section 304-A, IPC of the incident. After investigation a charge sheet was filed against the driver of the said truck Veer Mal for rash and negligent driving the vehicle and causing death in accident in the Court of Chief Judicial Magistrate, Dungarpur, which was registered as Cr. Case No.553/88. The legal representatives of the deceased Gulab filed an application for compensation under Section 110(A) of the Motor Vehicle Act, 1988. The claimants claimed a sum of Rs.2,54,000/- as compensation on different heads. It was stated in the claim petition that the deceased was engaged in masonry work and he used to earn Rs. 30/- per day. He was 30 years old at the time of accident. The claimants are widow, minor son, daughters and mother of the deceased. It was stated that they were fully dependent on his income and due to his untimely death in accident, they suffered hardships and monetary loss as well as loss love and affection and loss of guardianship to minor children. They prayed for awarding of compensation as demanded. The said vehicle was said to be owned by the non-claimant No.2 and was insured with the appellant- Insurance Company. 3. They prayed for awarding of compensation as demanded. The said vehicle was said to be owned by the non-claimant No.2 and was insured with the appellant- Insurance Company. 3. Non-claimants No.1 and 2 remained absent throughout the trial and they did not file their reply to the claim petition. 4. The non-claimant No.3-appellant Insurance Company filed the written statement with specific plea that Truck No. RJJ 3209 was insured for carrying goods and not for carrying passengers. It was also stated that the deceased was travelling in the truck after paying fare, thus, the Insurance Company cannot be held responsible for the payment of compensation. The insurance company also denied the factum of earning Rs.30/- per day by the deceased and stated that compensation has been demanded on higher side and prayed to dismiss the claim petition. 5. On the basis of pleadings of the parties, the following issues were framed by the Tribunal:- " 1- D;k fnukad 23-11-1988 dks V~d ua0 vkj0ts0ts0 3209 dks mlds pkyd foey us rst xfr ls pyk;k ftlls mlesa cSBk gqvk Lo0 xqykc mNydj uhps fxjk vkSj mldh e`R;q gks xbZ\ 2- D;k mDr nq?kZVuk ds dkj.k izkFkhZx.k foi{khx.k ls lkekU; o fof'k"V {kfr ds :i esa 2]54]000@& :i;s izkIr djus ds vf/kdkjh gS\ 3- D;k foi{khx.k la[;k 1 o 2 us chek ikWfylh dh 'krksZa ds foijhr V~d esa e`rd dks fdjk;k ysdj cSBk;k bl dkj.k chek dEiuh dk dksbZ nkf;Ro ugha gS\ 4- vuqrks"kA " 6. During the trial, on behalf of claimants PW 1 Smt. Mani P.W.2 Velji, PW 3 Deepak Kumar and PW 4 Ramesh were examined. The relevant documents were produced and exhibited. No evidence was led by the opposite party in defence. 7. After hearing the parties, the learned Tribunal held that the accident occurred due to rash and negligent driving of the said truck driver, resulting into death of Gulab. The learned Tribunal further on the basis of material available on record turned down the defence pleas and after considering the age and income of the deceased, determined the compensation and awarded a total sum of Rs. 1,10,000/- as compensation vide judgment and Award dated 3.8.1994 and held responsible to the owner and Insurer of the Truck for the payment of compensation to the claimant-respondents No.1 to 6. 8. 1,10,000/- as compensation vide judgment and Award dated 3.8.1994 and held responsible to the owner and Insurer of the Truck for the payment of compensation to the claimant-respondents No.1 to 6. 8. Being aggrieved by the judgment and Award dated 3.8.1994 passed by the learned Tribunal in favour of claimants, the Oriental Insurance Company preferred this appeal assailing the judgment and Award before this Court for quashing and setting aside the said judgment and award. 9. Notice of the appeal was issued to the respondents. In the meanwhile, respondent No.1- owner of the vehicle died, therefore, his legal representatives were taken on record. The record of the case called, 10. I have heard learned counsel for the parties and carefully perused the record of the case as well as gone through the judgment and award dated 13.8.1994. 11. During the course of arguments, the learned counsel for the appellant submitted that the learned Tribunal has not properly considered and appreciated the material available on record and gave erroneous judgment and Award, thus, deserves to be quashed and set aside. It was submitted by the learned counsel for the appellant that in this case, it was admitted position that the deceased was travelling in the truck along with 50-60 persons and during that period, the accident occurred and Gulab died. It was urged that the vehicle in question was being a truck, that was, meant for carrying goods and was not authorised to carry passengers. By carrying the passengers in the truck, the terms of the policy have been violated, therefore, Insurance Company cannot be held responsible for the payment of compensation but the learned Tribunal has not properly appreciated the important defence pleas and wrongly decided the issue No.3. Thus, it was prayed that appeal may be allowed and the judgment and Award may be set aside. The learned counsel for the appellant placed reliance on the judgments given in the cases of Smt. Mallawwa etc. v. Oriental Insurance Co.Ltd. and others, JT 1998 (8) SC 247 and Ramesh Kumar v. National Insurance Co. Ltd. and others, 2001 (4) CCC (SC) 19 12. The learned counsel for the appellant placed reliance on the judgments given in the cases of Smt. Mallawwa etc. v. Oriental Insurance Co.Ltd. and others, JT 1998 (8) SC 247 and Ramesh Kumar v. National Insurance Co. Ltd. and others, 2001 (4) CCC (SC) 19 12. On the contrary, learned counsel for respondents supported the judgment and Award., It was submitted that the burden of proving issue No.3 was on the appellant-Insurance Company but the appellant-Insurance Company did not lead any evidence, thereby, that they failed to prove the relevant issue, therefore, the learned Tribunal has rightly decided the same. It was contended that it was nowhere agitated that the offending truck was not insured with the appellant. During the course of arguments, the learned counsel for the respondents also drew my attention towards the Insurance Cover-Note and urged that the appellant has taken premium of the passengers and thereby in case of mishappening they were under obligation to pay compensation. On these submissions, it was prayed that the appeal deserves to be dismissed and the judgment and Award passed by the learned Tribunal may be maintained. Learned counsel for the respondents cited the judgments given in the cases of United India Insurance Company Ltd. v. Smt. Hukmi and others, 2006 (7) RDD (Raj) 3697 and Khayali and another v. Isamiya and others, 2008 WLC (Raj) (UC) 244. 13. I have considered the rival submissions and perused the findings and conclusion drawn thereon. I have perused the judgments cited by both the sides. The question arises for consideration in appeal is whether the appellant Insurance Company has wrongly made responsible for the payment of compensation. 14. So far as the finding of accident is concerned, no body has challenged this finding though I have perused the material in this respect available on record. The learned Tribunal, after considering the material available on record has rightly held that the accident occurred due to rash and negligent driving of the offending truck. After investigation, the police filed, the challan against the driver of the truck.During the course of arguments, much contentions were raised that the truck in question was a goods vehicle and the victim was travelling in that vehicle, therefore, the appellant Insurance Company was not responsible but these contentions are not sustainable. After investigation, the police filed, the challan against the driver of the truck.During the course of arguments, much contentions were raised that the truck in question was a goods vehicle and the victim was travelling in that vehicle, therefore, the appellant Insurance Company was not responsible but these contentions are not sustainable. On the defence pleas of the appellant Insurance Company, a specific issue was framed but they failed to produce the evidence in this respect. The appellant Insurance Company was free to take-over the risk of the passenger and in that case, the Insurance Company would be under the obligation to pay compensation in case of mis-happening. In the present case, the learned counsel for the appellant has produced Cover-Note issued by the appellant- Insurance Company in respect of the offending vehicle during that period and in that Cover-Note it is clearly mentioned that premium with regard to six passengers have been received. The appellant- Insurance company has not been able to explain before the learned Tribunal as well as before the appellate court that in case, where they have taken the premium in respect of the passengers how they were not responsible to pay compensation in case of accident, therefore, in these circumstances, the appellant was under an obligation to pay compensation to the claimants. Considering these factual position of the case, the judgments cited by the learned counsel for the appellant do not support their contentions. On the contrary, the judgments cited by the learned counsel for the respondents are much relevant. On the basis of the aforesaid discussion, the appeal filed by the appellant-Insurance Company is liable to be dismissed. The learned Tribunal in case of death of a young person, after considering the material available on record has assessed and determined Rs. 1,10,000/- as compensation, that is just and reasonable and deserves to be maintained. 15. In the result, the appeal filed by the Insurance Company is hereby disallowed and the judgment and Award passed by the learned Tribunal is maintained. No order as to costs.Appeal dismissed. *******