Judgment :-

Dipak Misra, J.

Leave granted.

2. The centripodal issue that emanates for consideration in these appeals is whether the insurer is obliged under law to indemnify the owner of a goods vehicle when the employees engaged by the hirer of the vehicle travel with the owner of the goods on the foundation that they should be treated as “employees” covered under the policy issued in accordance with the provision contained under Section 147 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 (for brevity “the Act”).

3. The expose’ of facts are that a truck bearing HP/10/0821 was hired on 12.4.2000 for carrying iron rod and cement by one Durga Singh who was travelling with the goods along with two of his labourers. When the vehicle was moving through Khara Patthar to Malethi, 1.5 KM ahead of Khara Patthar, about 4.30 p.m., it met with an accident as a consequence of which the labourers, namely, Nagru Ram and Desh Raj and also Durga Singh, sustained injuries and eventually succumbed to the same.

4. The legal heirs of all the deceased persons filed separate claim petitions under Section 166 of the Act before the Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal (II), Shimla (for short “the tribunal”). Before the tribunal, re