^ IN THE HIGH COURT OF CHHATTISGARH AT BILASPUR MISC. APPEAL [C1NO^M_SO /2011 Oivision Bgnd MISC. APPEAL UNDER SECTION 173 OF THE MOTOR VEHICLES ACT, 1988 y ..^' APPELLANT INSURER RESPONDENTS CLAIMANTS DRIVER OWNER ,Reliance General Insurance Company Limited through its Legal Manager, Reliance General Insurance Company Limited, 301- 302 Corporate House 169 RNT Marg opposite -Jhabua Tower, Indore (M.P.) VERSUS 1. Smt. Sheetla Ahluwalia, W/o Late Sushil Kumar Ahluwalia, aged about 37 years, -2. Ram Ahluwalia S/o Late Sushil Kumar Ahluwalia, aged about. 16 years, 3^ - Ku. Krishna Ahluwalia, aged about 13 years/y^7<? ^^^ ft/f»ff kvwa^ /fh/c/^x^^ Respondents No. 2 8s 3 are bein; minor represented through mother respondent No.l Smt. Sheetla Ahluwalia—All R/o Gurunanak Nagar behind Gurudwara, House No. 509, Supela Bhilai, Tahsil 8s District - Durg (C.G.) 4, Sukhdev Singh S/o Hardev Singh R/o Dayanand College, Ramaganj City,.P.S. Sabji Mandi, District - Ajmer (Rajsthan) Present R/o Jamnagar Panden (Gujrat) .5. Manjibhai D. Dongre, R/o village Jamkhambhaliya, District - Jamnagar (Gujrat) APPEAL VALUED AT RS.12,19,500/ - 1 COURT FEE Rs. l5/- A- Being; aggrieved against the award dated ^. - ^ • toP""' 30/11/2019 passed by 9th Additional Motor Accident •^A^-'r •^AA — 'ss' si jtt-^-L san.^k-. ^s ^°!I^*L ^~a."% r^Ei's.^ •S S^IB^S.. |^/i ^i%^. £^©ti^j^' ^Uxi. Kciiaiiuc tjreiici'ai Comnanv l.iTrnter]. V^^SliS iiiistii'ancc 173_OF,T£i2- ACT. D.B.: Hoabl&Stei S.aS. Qllddusi & Hc-a'Me G. P.1iahaiaddia. J. I^^^llt: Sliri Sourablx SuariXia, coun^el fbr uie appell&Bt. Shri Amivakaiit Tiivari, couasel for flie ^X<SJJLLL<3—L.LS/±'e;5{JUllLl<:lil&L'^iJ. ±10 vJ. None for resriondents No. 4 85 5. tsse< ith 201 rst t.ari. yuffausi, <j, Tlils appeal lias beeu Slc-d. bv tlis aDpeIlaiit/Iusurcuice i/ iu^uicLiicf ^oiupajjy Sigaj-uSL ine impug£i.eci aw&iu aaxeu. ou-ii-.^'jiu psisseci oy uie i^Miui fiaaixionaj MuK>r ^icciueuz L^iauus 'i'noun£i (i-'.'i'.L/.), T^^- -. -. .-.l^-.,-.- ^-1.,.. ^u.i^ : ic?i' • aiiuiz uj.e ^iaiius iriouuai'i 111 L/iaim t/a&s ^T _ -i ^ r\ s !"^^~\^\f~: io. - so is-r a.s IL iias i&sisiisci uie URDIUTV ori 'iiu / 1 — ^-^-. - (^- - - .^ ciyydlci-Ll-L/ JS.li.i'iLLifeLLiCC:' ^uiii}jaiT\-- LO yav ainount ^i. Brlei la.cts ot tlie ca.se a.s per versloj-is of the claloiaiits si'c tliat tb.e respoiideiits No. 1 to 3/clalaiaiits hereio. were wiSc aud uiiuor cliikireii of the deceas^d Sushil Kumar Ahluwalla aiid respoiidents No. 4 ajid 5 u.eroin. wei'e driyer ajid owner of tlie olicndlng veliicle (^rucls} uesuing rcglsiratioii No. G.J. 1G-W/3556. Ujj. 2u-US-200u at 10-00 p.111., Susliil Kuiiiar was coxulng frosj. KaipuT oii iiis v^JilcIe Actlva. At that tLoie, iiear Kukda iii iii^ih&Tl. Kuiiiii&ri, iie was daslied Ijy the saj.d Truck whl£:lL was beliig anven DY ic driver/respoiideu'L No.4 xi&relii, iii a rasli. iiegltgeD.t aiajiner, resulujig in his d&ath on the spot. Report of tlie iiicMeiit was give:u in tb.e PoIiCc Statk)n, KuiD:ari aiid aii oiisiice w^s rsgisTereu uiiutT ys'ctioiis .^/y, ooY Qiicl. oU"—A01 tiie !^'.<- ..-^ °-' l.r.^. AI Xlie Tuuc 01 a.cc'iCieD.T., iiic o.ge 01 uie decea.seci wds £+u yeai^ aiia w&s eai'uio.g KS.i^,uuu/ " per m.0D:ui oy aoiag uaiispoii Tlie claiiiiaiits beiiig legal helrs of tlie deeeased tj-ad flled a pctltion uii'd.er1 Scction 166 oitue Motor Vsllicles Act (for sliort tlie Actj bsfore tlie Claiiiis Trrouiial claim.io.g a totsl coinpeiisatloii of T-'i .-^ /s <' .-i .", ^'..'^r^ ! -f.^. ,.. -L-i^. .-. ^ . „ ^.•3_ . -C- ^.-i^ ^ -3- ---.-- -E rrs.y.^y,-r^,ij"^;u^ ~ ivi' u.is ae&uj. 01 uie uececiseo-. '-E-. Leameci daiuis Jl'nbuiia-l on a cjose scrutiiiy 01 evid.ence ieci, inaterial placed ajj-d subjxu.ssl^hs iiiade by tlie par'ties^ allowed the cisiioi peuuou LO- pan duci. awaro.eci a. lOtai aissAjujii 01 conipeusatioji of Rs.12,19,300/- holdiiig the iioii-appllcaiits/ respoiiuenis laciuciiD.g uic appeiiajii/ iusurauce uoixipaxiy joinuy arid sever&lly^ U&ble to p&y tiic &nioun.t QI coi2ipeiisat[oii aloiig with. lLitt;rcst @ o°'6 per siiiiuiii iroiii u.ie ds.t-s 01 fcippUc^.tiou fi" its pa3,-mem.. o. pfmsea luc itupugiieci aw&ra pa-sssci oy uie ^i ^-n „ • ^.. -, 1111S u. Th.e o'wner ajicl driver' liave not produced aj.iy ^ltucss i'xor they cauie ixito tlie wltLiess box but tlie SLppUca.tioii uiider Secu.ou 170 was rejected by the Clslms Trlbuiial ou the giouud that they had coiitestsd the case, We Ixsve fbund that io. fact, they liad not coiiTesiea uie ca.se aiici uiey iiaa £LOI proaucea any wiuiess. 'iiie Qrigliial c'upy of the d.ri.viag Ueence was aiso uot produced and Lliereibre, iu our opinioii, the applicatloii uiider Sectioii 170 was wrongiy rejected.. liie rejectlou ord.er is set asKie. It 1s evideiit tliat 011 the basis of the Incoine tax u£tuni suDBiii'teu oy uie aeceaseu 011 ly-u^-^uuy lor uie ye&ny gross iiicoaie 01 i\s. i,o^-,u-^-u^-, ieai'iiea uiaiois 'iriouiLai rias ngiiuy assessed tlie yeai'ly In.CGnio. of Rs.1^20,000/- ajid after deductkig l/3rd towards personal aad living expenses has assessed tlie uepeudeiicy of Rs.8Q,OQO/-. Howcvei"; we ai~e oftli& opiiiioii tli.s.t uie niuiupiier 01 i^, appiiea oy uie ^ia.iius 'rnoxxiiai is excessive &jici co-o-ti.'&Tv to uie l&w i&ici U.OW-R bv~ Hoii bie Supreine' Coui'l 111 -.f et-—--?. ~T - —.— — • fW^-^^- U1C C&Sc. 01 ^e^rs.^ ys'rj'^Ml ^&SsfSEs/ y~S» i^Cifs.t lyeSjlS'p^FS :•*^ ^. s-s -—-•^tf' --S ^-.-.^—.-^s.- //*)l^Bb/^<l^t ;^t*f*a -s ^ts. •* fT\~:^ _ €/©r*p<yi'';££E£@:le. CS.^Ms. ^£.ss.S''€s"s.€r^I'epOlTcu. iii ^i/a'^f ^ ^€/^ 2^g~A* 'l'IlS "ii-. s-ge 01 uie aecea.sccs. wa.s '4-3 yeaj-'s oec&use ID- uie iiicoiue Tejc return the da.te of bir'tli of tlie deceased 1s iiieiiUoiied as 13-12- 1961. Therefoie, accordiEig to the decisiou of tlie Koii?ble Supreine Coui't ii'i Saria VeriE.a (supra) uie iiiuluplier of 13 ^•vould be appUcable in tlie preseiit case. It wasuie dul^7 of tlie Cl&iins iTlbLLLial to tbllow tiie law l&iu. ciowii by KQH bls Supreiiie Ceurt ia S&xi& verxu.a (supr'a), wL.icli is Lu.e l&w ui tlie l&itd to oe foUowecl by eveiT Court iiiider Article 141 oftlie CoiistitLitioii oflBdla, Q. in view a.ouye, we awan a^iai suixi T~t-. 'S t~\ /S/t ^l.l^r'L ; J'f-'ij^. r^j^t/^ ^ __ -a ^->l i<S.lu,uu,uuu/- (ou,UUU,'- X 1W tiie olaim.aiits towards loss of aepeuaeiicy. ine aiiiouriT awaraea uiiaer ouier iisaas i.e. Rs.l9,30Q/- needs no liiter'fereiice oy tbis Cour't. In vi£:w of fb.e ibregoiug, the iD.staut appeal is siuowed la part. The iuipugiied award 1s iaodliled to tlie extent tliat the claiaiaiits ai'e entitied to get a total SLLOI of Rs. 10,59,500/- sloixg witli interest at the rate of6<yo per ajiiiuni. Rest oftlie coudltioiis iniposea uy uie ^jiaims 'iTiDun&i siiaii reniaiLi 111 tact. i^o oraer as LO cosis. Sd/- I.M.Quddusi Judge Sd/- G. Minhajuddin Judge