DivisionBeneh e^. BEFORE HON'BLE THE HIGH COURT OF CHHATTISGARH AT BILASPUR 2-^/^^! M .A. (C )- ^QW-\DB } APPELLANT Non-applicant —2 RESPONDENTS Applicants :.& ^:^;A ^••^^.^- ^o-^ ^ :^-->^- ^v^y "^r" ~^...w ^^•" RESPONDENTS 5. Non-Applicants ^ Bhagwati Prasad Verma S/o Chintaram Verma, R/o village Kh^iri, P.S. Bhatapara Rural, District—Raipur.[ C. G. ] Versus 1. Smt. Vinita Bai, aged about 20 ^? Years , W/o Late Narottam Tiwari Smt. Dhaneshwari Bai, aged about 40 years, W/o Late Shri Ganesh Prasad Tiwari, 3. Tukeshwar Prasad aged about 8 *> Years, S/o Late Ganesh Prasad Tiwari, 4. Tameshwaribai, aged agout 10 ^ Years, D/o Late Shri Ganesh Prasad Tiwari, [ Res. No. 3 & 4 Minor, Legal & Natural guardian mother— Dhaneshwaribai, W/o Late Ganesh Tiwari. ] All ofr/o— Village Datanpara Nagpura, P.S. Palari, Distt. Raipur. C.G.j Mansingh Dhruv, S/o Itwari Dhruv , R/o village—Khairi P.S. Bhatapara Rural, Distt. Raipur. C. G. The New India Insurance Co. Ltd, Branch Office—Shanti Kunj, Civil Line, Baloda Bazar Distt. Raipur. C. G. ^:i ( Appeal u/s 173 ofMotor Vehicle Act 1988,—Aeainst the Award : ^b mCKH eOWKT €»PGHBATTISCMyBH AT BILASPUR M.A. (C( 110. 258 OF 2008 APPBLLANT/NOI^ APPLICANT N0.2 RBSPONDBNT8 Bhagwali Prasajd Venoa Veysiis SiiA. Viatta Bai aiiid othexs, APPBAL UNDER SECTION 173 OF THB MGTOSE V®Kiei-ES ACT.1988 miids|oaBeach:_Hoa'M^:,Dr.,,LM ,Ho3at.b2e..S32y|.G. NtaXiatudd£a.JJ» Pareseat; Sfari 'Prav^eii Dhisrasidhar^- coim^l fbr appeUaat, Shri Sudhir.Agrawal, .coix3isel..fi>r Respondcnt N0,6, ORAL ORDER (Passed oa 9th day ofMay, ^0312^ Per Dr. I.M. QBdditsi, J. This appeal h^s beea filed by flie owaer of the oflfeiidiag vehicle agaii^t the awaid dated 03-10-2007 passed fcy SeoMMd Additional Motor Accideat CIaijaofcS Tribuiial> Balodaba^ar (foi short 'fhe Claims Tribunal') io. Claim Case No.30/20@7, whereby fhe leamed Claiins Tribuaal dlrected fhe la^xrao^e Conipaiiy to pay the amoujit of compeBsattoji aod thea to recover it froin fhe owiier ofthe offendiiig veliicle, 2. Brief facts ofthe case are that oa O 1-01-2007 ia flie aight at 9-15 p»m., NajDOttajo Prasad was oomLlag from BIiatapara te Balodaba^ar on the motorcycle beariiig registratMm No. C.G. 04- C.N»/8376 aloag witli hja brofher-ia-law aml oiie Kajoafleshi, owner of the motoixiycle. Oa the way, ixear bfldge the said motorcycle was dashed by flie offendiag vehMe Tractor bearioig registration No, C.G, 04-D/8309, whxA was bein^ uscd for puUitig Maruti Car (ALTO) aui4 driven by Aien-appUcarrt No, 1 Isi a rash aiid Aiegligeiat maaner, as a re^ult of iwhfctl Raix)ttai3i Prasad sustauied grievous ijijuries aod has died diMing the course of ti'eatmeiit. Informatioa regardmg accideat wa^ giveii to fhe police by ^oiiiebody, At the tinie of accideo^ age of Ifae deceased was 23 year^ aiid he was earniag Rs/2©0/-per day by workiog as tt'actor driver, .^-^ 4. The claimaiite beitig legal heire of the deceaaed Iiad filed a petitioii under 8ectioa 166 ofthe Motor Vehjctes Act (for short fhe Act") beft>re the Claiiiis Tiribxxaal elaiaoiing total aiiioiiiit €?f couapeasatioa ofRs,23,40,000/- S>jr the deattfc of fhe d^-ea^ed. 3. The dairn^ Tribunal 011 a close ^crartiDy of e^ideis^e led, materlal plac^d aiiid aubmissioas niade by tlie paities^ lias awarded a sum of RB.6,48^700/- along with intereat @ 6% per aiiBxuii from fhe date offiling offfae applieatioa tUl its payrmeat, 6. Wehavelieardlearjiedc^unselappearto^fecfhepertfe aod perused fhe recoid of tfae Tnbunal aad fbiiad fhat flwre was no eye wifaaiess of tihe ajceldleiit whose steteiifceExt was recoixied, 7. TMe charge-sheet under Sectlon 173 of Cr. P.C. was fil©d by fhe poUce aad after lodgitig tiie F.^R., crlme case No, 190/2007 was regtetered befere fhe J^idfcial Magist^te Flrst Class, Bhatapara, Ralpur, 8, Leastied counsel for fhe appeMaat lias siAbiaaAtted fhat eveo fhough there is oiie mjured peA-soii Le, Kaoilesh, owiier of fhe niotorcw^le, 110 eye witaess was exajQained by Ae elaiixiaEats befbre ftoe daims Tribuaal, but fhe claims Trifounal has attowed the claim petition aiid awarded the ainouat of compe^saAlon. 9. SectioBs 168 aixd 169 of the Act pi^wijde fbat the Claioiis Tribuoal shaU conduct aM enquiiy oa reeeivmg tilie alalm petition for ascerfcBitiiiig flie tratihi. Beaidjes abwre, Ririte 22(S of fhe C.G. Motor Vehfele Rules^ 1994 also piovidea fhe pnx?ediire fhat fhe daiias Tnbuixal shaM co^odirct ej3<}uiiy tai asc^rtaiti fhe feicts. Therefore, tt was fbe boundeD duty of t]ie Cfcaiias Tribuiiat to briag trufti oa ncord, Furtlier th^ Tj-feuaal shoiilid not treat the claloi p^titfon as chyQ siitt and es aa explorer of tiiith, it is requlred to corAduct aii eoqiitiy. 10, In liq^ ^Tiimeir -ixs- A^i^ JBtomar ^r&dl an^tteeyy repo.rted ui 2010 (12) 8CA1®,Hon'ble the Apex Court laid dtTwn ia Para-11 fhat it is the duty of Che TribiAnal to coDAuct an -^^H^.\^ .f€r^j '^ •..s^" enquiiy aBd the elaim petitkxi shCTxtd Bot be treatedb as if tihe same te a CivU SuM, 11. Para 11 offhe judgmejit Is qiioted as iiiidcr: w e Tdfoiuaal slxmld iiot be a alljejat sipeetirtor whea iiiedical evid^ace AB tendered ia regard to tl ifyuries aod fheir efifect, IEL particxilar fhe extenA of jpermaiieBt diaabilhy, Seotions 168 an<l 169 of fhje Act uaake At evideat that the Tiibuaal does aot fiiiictio^ii as a jQ^itr^l umpire as ia a civil s^iit^ b^xt as aii aetfere explorer aa<3 seeker oftrutfa who is reqiiired to cbold aia e^quiiy Mrto tihe elaim' fter determjaiog fhe <j^st eompensatioii'. Tb^ Tribiiiiial Btould thcjrdfoLre^^t^^ ao actwe rate ta ^acarteAo fhe true and corrcct posftiofi ^o that hfc caiii astesa fhie <just coiiaLpenaatioii..^,. .w 12. TIie litigatfoa regaidiQg inotor accideote are social wellare litigatfon aiid fheiefore, thesame ahoiild iijot be treated as a Civfl Suit, The Claims Tabuiaal ahouMl dletexiiitoe tnie fecte aod onty fhereafter fhe award should be jxiade, 13, Ia fhe instaiit case, m view of fhe fact tihat ao evJdeBce has been recorded, fhe Cruiiuuial Case record was rfso iiot sufflmoned, fhe findiiags recorded by fhe Ctaiois Tiibuiiat are perverse ajaid are liable to be set aaide. 14. Therefofe, we allow this appeal in |^rt, set asMe tite impugoed award aiid femtt fhe matter baolc to IfjijB CSaims TiibiijQiaI to decide the claim pefttioa afresh m the llglxt ofthe obsewatton made abo^e. The CfeduoQL^ Tttbiiiiial shaB ateo deoide tibe fects as well as quantiiiii part assessmg fhe meome ctfffoe deceased pioperly, The qiiestioii of eontjribiitoiy aegtigetiee shaU also be recoiialdered affcer the evideiice is recoi'dwl^ For fhat purpose pix>per issues AaU be firamed. 15, Needless to Dieirtion that tfa^ parties shall be aBtowed to amend tlie pleadiiigs, adduoe fuilher avidence, ffle dociioiente or get tiie docimieiits veriGied etc,, aad thereafter, a dw;iaioa shaU be inade afresh. The Cteilais Ttibujoal ahall also cci^idzwt the eiiquiry as is iiecessary for the purpo^ of defcermJtaMtoa of ..—^•.^ -^^ j y / tnie facts as prcmded m Sectioii 168, 169 ofthe Motor Vebi^les Act, 1988 as wett as Rule 226 oftfoe C.G. Motor Veliicle Sules, 1994. 16. Tlie partles shaU app^^ar before fhe daiaia TribiAjMtl oa 26-06-2012. The records of fhe TribuDLal sba!l be seol: baek wifhout arjy fuither delay. t7. The amouiit wfaich is-deposited by tte Iiimii^iK^ Compaiiy pursuant to fhe impugtied award atid tlue ixiaiKl^toiy depo^it of Rs.23,000/- ^haU be alkw^d to be rfa£id€dajad fresh order wouM be passed ftwr fixu&g fhe INbBity* 18. No order as to costs. Sd/- Dr. LM. Quddusi Judge Sd/- G. Minhajuddin Judge Kvr