Order : 1. The present appeal has been preferred against the judgment and award dated 21.07.2023 passed by Motor Accident Claim Tribunal, Sirohi in MAC Case No.53/2016 (C.I.S No.53/2016) whereby the claim petition as preferred on behalf of the claimants stood rejected. 2. The claim petition was rejected by the learned Tribunal while deciding issue No.1 against the claimants. Issue No.1 read as under: 3. The learned Tribunal, while rejecting the claim petition, recorded a specific finding that the alleged eye-witness Arjun Singh (AW.2) appeared as a witness in the criminal proceedings also (Criminal Case No.408/2015) pertaining to the same accident and the statements of the said witness as recorded by the Criminal Court were got exhibited as Exhibit A-4 in the present petition by the Insurance Company. Before the Criminal Court, the aforesaid witness specifically deposed that he was neither aware how the accident occurred nor had knowledge about the driver or details of the vehicle. Therein, he specifically denied having any information about the said two facts whereas before the learned Tribunal, he deposed that he not only knew the driver of the vehicle but also noted the number of the vehicle before he got unconscious. 4. Arjun Singh (alleged eye witness), in his statement before the learned Tribunal deposed as under: ^^cksysjks thi la[;k vkjts&22&Vh,&1002 ds pkyd nsohpan }kjk ?kfVr dh xbZ FkhA eSa nq?kZVuk ls iwoZ ls gh nsohpan dks tkurk Fkk tks djhc 1 o"kZ iwoZ lsA eSa viuh cgu ds ;gka tkrk Fkk bl otg ls pkeqUMsjh esa nsohpan dh nqdku ij vkrk tkrk FkkA ysfdu nsohpan eq>s ugha tkurk FkkA eSaus nq?kZVuk gksus ds i'pkr~ cksysjks thi ds uEcj ns[ks FksA nq?kZVuk gksrs gh eSa fxj x;k FkkA^^??^ Whereas, in statements recorded on 15.10.2019 in Criminal Original Case No.408/2015 before the Judicial Magistrate, Bali he deposed as under: ^^gekjh eksVjlkbZfdy ds uEcj vkjts 24 ,lth rd ;kn gS vkxs eksVjlkbZfdy ds uEcj vkt eq>s ;kn ugha gSA ge ekyuw eksM ij igqaps rc lkeus ls ,d cksysjks thi rst xfr o ykijokgh ls vkbZ vkSj gekjh eksVjlkbZfdy ds VDdj ekjhA VDdj yxrs gh ge uhps fxj x, o csgks'k gks x;kA ,DlhMs.V dSls gqvk eq>s irk ughaA fdldh xyrh ls gqvk eq>s irk ughA pkyd dk uke o thi ds uacj eq>s irk ughaA^^ 5. The learned Tribunal therefore concluded that the alleged eye- witness AW-2 Arjun Singh made stark contradictory statements before both the Courts. The learned Tribunal therefore concluded that the alleged eye- witness AW-2 Arjun Singh made stark contradictory statements before both the Courts. The learned Tribunal concluded its finding with the following reasoning: ^^gekjk foospu gS fd xokg us mDr vkijkf/kd izdj.k esa vius c;ku lksp le> dj lgh fy[kkuk Lohdkj fd;k gSA bl rjg Lo;a xokg vtqZuflag us flfoy U;k;k/kh'k ,oa U;kf;d eftLVs?sV ckyh ds le{k vkijkf/kd izdj.k esa okLrfod dFku djrs gq, vius c;ku izn'kZ&1 ls myV dFku djrs gq, ,DlhMsUV dSls gksus] fdldh xyrh ls gksus rFkk pkyd dk uke o thi ds uEcj irk ugha gksus ds dFku fd;s gSA ;fn okLro esa mlds }kjk ?kVuk ns[kuk rFkk og Lo;a Hkh mDr nq?kZVuk esa pksVxzLr gqvk gS] og vo'; gh vius l'kiFk c;ku izn'kZ ,&1 ds rgr okgu pkyd dk uke o okgu uEcj dk mYys[k djrk fo'ks"kr;k tcfd xokg ,0M0&2 vtqZuflag us vius vf/kdj.k ds le{k l'kiFk c;ku esa dFku fd;k gS ^^eSaus nq?kZVuk gksus ds i'pkr~ cksysjks thi ds uEcj ns[ks FksA mu uEcjksa dks eSaus dkxt ij uksV ugha fd;s Fks cfYd ;kn j[ks FksA** bl rjg xokg ,0M0&2 vtqZuflag ds vyx&vyx txg fn;s x;s c;kuksa esa fojks/kkHkkl gksus ls rF; fHkUurk gSA blds vfrfjDr i=koyh dk voyksdu djus ij xokg ,0M0&2 vtqZuflag us iqfyl c;ku izn'kZ&1 esa mDr nq?kZVuk dks eksrhflag iq= eksgCcrflag }kjk Hkh ns[ks tkus dk dFku fd;k gS rFkk mDr xokg us bl vf/kdj.k esa ftjg esa dFku fd;k fd og eksrhflag iq= eksgCcrflag tkfr jktiqr fuoklh pkeq.Msjh dks ugha tkurk gSA ;fn vtqZuflag ds bl vf/kdj.k esa gq, c;ku dks lgh ekuk tk;s rks eksrhflag }kjk nq?kZVuk gksrs ugha ns[kh gSA tcfd i=koyh ij ekStwn flfoy U;k;k/kh'k ,oa U;kf;d eftLVs?sV ckyh ds U;k;ky; esa gq, eksrhflag ds c;ku esa xokg us mDr nq?kZVuk cksysjks ds pkyd }kjk ?kfVr djus dk dFku fd;k gS] ysfdu cksysjks ds uEcj ,oa okgu ds pkyd ds uke dh vufHkKrk tkfgj dhA bl rjg mDr nq?kZVuk ds lEcU/k esa p'enhn xokgku ds c;ku esa fojks/kkHkkl gksus ls rF; fHkUurk jgh gSA blds vfrfjDr Mwaxjflag tks mDr nq?kZVuk dk izFke ßkyk fjiksVZ izLrqrdrkZ Fkk] tks bl nq?kZVuk ds lEcU/k esa lcls egRoiw.kZ xokg Fkk ftlus mDr nq?kZVuk dh izFke ßkyk fjiksVZ esa eksVj lkbZfdy dks vlarqfyr gksdj Mhi esa fxjus dk dFku fd;k gS rFkk ckn esa iqfyl c;ku esa gq, c;kuksa o uD'kk ekSdk esa okgu cksysjks ds pkyd dh xyrh ,ao ykijokgh crk;k gS tks fdl vk/kkj ij crk;k gS] ds lEcU/k esa dksbZ rF; i=koyh ij ekStwn ugha gS] ysfdu izkFkhZx.k us mDr xokg Mwaxjflag dks bl vf/kdj.k esa is'k dj mlds c;ku ys[kc) ugha djok;s gSA ftlls ;g izekf.kr gks lds fd okLro esa mDr nq?kZVuk ?kfVr gqbZ Fkh ftlesa e`rd ftrsUnzflag o vtqZuflag pksVxzLr gqbZ gks vkSj ftrsUnzflag dh ?kVukLFky ij e`R;q gqbZ gksA bl izdkj xokgku izkFkhZ vtqZuflag ds bl vf/kdj.k esa gq, c;ku ds rF;ksa esa fHkUurk jgh gS] rFkk mDr xokgu }kjk vius c;kuksa esa fdl cksysjks thi la[;k vkjts&22&Vh,&1002 ls eksVj lkbZfdy dks lkeus ls VDdj ekjuk ekSf[kd crk;k gS] ftldk leFkZu i=koyh ij ekStwn nLrkosth lk{; ls ugha gksrk gSA vr% ;g izekf.kr gksrk gS fd izkFkhZx.k us vf/kdj.k ds le{k ek= Dyse ysus gsrq tkucw>dj okgu cksysjks thi la[;k vkjts&22&Vh,&1002 dks fyIr djrs gq, eksVj lkbZfdy dks VDdj ekjus ds lEcU/k esa l'kiFk dFku fd;s gS tks drSbZ ekuus ;ksX; ugha gSA bl rjg i=koyh ij miyC/k mijksDr lk{; ,oa nLrkostks ds foLr`r foospu ls ;g rF; rks fufoZokfnr gS fd fnukad 16-05-2015 dks e`rd ftrsUnzflag pksVxzLr gksus e`R;q vo'; gqbZ Fkh] ysfdu izkFkhZx.k bl rF; dks viuh lk{; ls fl) djus esa vlQy jgs gS fd mDr nq?kZVuk esa cksysjks thi la[;k vkjts&22&Vh,&1002 fyIr jgh gks rFkk mDr okgu ds pkyd vizkFkhZ la[;k ,d dh mis{kk ;k ykijokgh gksA ;g izdj.k /kkjk 166 ds varxZr is'k fd;k x;k gS ftlesa ek= okgu dh fyIrrk fl) ugha djuh gS vfirq okgu ds pkyd dh ykijokgh Hkh fl) djuh gksrh gSA izkFkhZx.k dh vksj ls tks nLrkost is'k fd, x, gS ,oa muds leFkZu esa tks lk{; is'k dh xbZ gS] mldh iqf"V i=koyh ij miyC/k nLrkostksa ls ugha gksrh gSA i=koyh ij ekStwn lk{; lkexzh ls mDr cksysjks thi la[;k vkjts&22&Vh,&1002 dh fyIrrk o mlds pkyd dh ykijokgh ls pykdj nq?kZVuk dkfjr djuk izekf.kr ugha gksrk gSA izkFkhZx.k dh vksj ls ek= {kfriwfrZ jkf'k izkIr djus ds fy, xyr :i ls cksysjks thi la[;k vkjts&22&Vh,&1002 dks lafyIr dj Dyse izkFkZuk i= izLrqr fd;k gSA vr% mijksDr leLr foospu ls bu fook