Case: National Insurance Co. Ltd Vs. V. Chinnamma

The Appellant - Insurance Company aggrieved by and dissatisfied with a judgment and order dated 28th March, 2002 passed by the High Court Of Judicature Andhra Pradesh at Hyderabad in AAO No. 216 of 1997 is in appeal before us.3. The respondents herein are heirs and legal representatives of one V. Gopal. The said V. Gopal (the deceased) used to carry on business in vegetables. He purchased 5 bags of vegetables on 24.11.1991 in a village known as Ayyapareddipalem and loaded the same in a trailer of a tractor hearing No. MH33-8109. He was traveling therein. He wanted to buy some more vegetables at a village known as Peddapadu. While the tractor approach the said village, a bus was seen coming from opposite direction. Because of rash and negligent driving on the part of the driver of the said tractor, and which was driven at a very high speed, it went to the extreme left side of road margin and because of heavy jerks, the deceased fell down and received serious injuries. He was immediately shifted to Peddapadu where he breathed his last.4. A claim petition was filed by the respondents herein before the Addl. Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal, Nellore claiming a sum of Rs. 1,00,000/-. The Appellant herein denied and disputed its liability to pay any amount to the Respondents by way of compensation inter alia on the ground that the deceased was traveling in the said tractor as a paid passenger.5. The learned Addl. Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal inter alia held that carrying the goods i.e., vegetables, by the deceased as owner thereof would entitle the Applicants to receive compensation from the Appellant.6. The learned Tribunal observing that a person who is not a party to contract of insurance would be the third party and in that view of the matter the respondents would be entitled to the amount of compensation even if the vehicle was only having third party insurance (Act policy). It was further held that the Tribunal was empowered to grant compensation over and above the amount claimed. A sum of Rs. 1,53,000/- was awarded by way of compensation in favour of the Respondents. The High Court by reason of the impugned judgment has dismissed the appeal preferred by the Appellant herein from the said judgment and award holding that as the deceased was traveling in the trailer alongwith his goods vegetables, it was liable to pay compensation.

Court's reasoning:
14. An insurance for an owner of the goods or his authorized representative travelling in a vehicle became compulsory only with effect from 14.11.1994 i.e., from the date of coming into force of Amending Act 54 of 1994.15. Furthermore, a tractor is not even a goods carriage. The "goods carriage" has been defined in Section 2(14) to mean "any motor vehicle constructed or adapted for use solely for the carriage of goods, or any motor vehicle not so constructed or adapted when used for the carriage of goods" whereas "tractor" has been defined in Section 2(44) to mean "a motor vehicle which is not itself constructed to carry any load (other than equipment used for the purpose of propulsion); but excludes a road-roller". The "trailer" has been defined in Section 2(46) to mean "any vehicle, other than a semi-trailer and a side-car, drawn or intended to be drawn by a motor vehicle."16. A tractor fitted with a trailer may or may not answer the definition of goods carriage contained in Section 2(14) of the Motor Vehicles Act. The tractor was meant to be used for agricultural purposes. The trailer attached to the tractor, thus, necessarily is required to be used for agricultural purpose, unless registered otherwise. It may be, as has been contended by Mrs. K. Sharda Devi, that carriage of vegetables being agricultural produce would lead to an inference that the tractor was being used for agricultural purposes but the same by itself would not be construed to mean that the tractor and trailer can be used for carriage of goods by another person for his business activities. The deceased was a businessman. He used to deal in vegetables. After he purchased the vegetables, he was to transport the same to market for the purpose of sale thereof and not for any agricultural purpose. The tractor and trailer, therefore, were not being used for agricultural purposes. However, even if it be assumed that the trailer would answer the description of the "goods carriage" as contained in Section 2(14) of the Motor Vehicles Act, the case would be covered by the decisions of this Court in Asha Rani (supra) and other decisions following the same, as the accident had taken place on 24.11.1991, i.e., much prior to coming into force of 1994 amendment.17. For the reasons aforementioned, the impugned judgments cannot be sustained which are set aside accordingly