JUDGMENT :

1. Aggrieved by the judgment dated 12.05.2008 in M.V.O.P. No.594 of 2005 passed by the Chairman, Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal-cum-III Additional District Judge, Guntur; the Andhra Pradesh Road Transport Corporation represented by its General Manager, Hyderabad-the 1st respondent preferred this appeal questioning the findings and observations of the Tribunal.

2. For convenience, hereinafter, the parties will be referred to as per their rankings in the M.V.O.P.

3. The claimants filed a claim petition under Sections 140, 141, 163A and 166 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, claiming compensation for the death of Karlapati Venkata Guruvulu @ Guravaiah, who is the husband of 1st claimant, father of claimants 2 and 3 and the son of 4th claimant, in a motor vehicle accident occurred on 24.03.2004. Hereinafter, the said Karlapati Venkata Guruvulu @ Guravaiah will be referred to as 'the deceased.

4. The claimant's case is that on 24.03.2004, the deceased boarded a commander jeep bearing No.AP 7 W 3370 at Veldurthy, to proceed to Macherla at 6.45 AM and when the said jeep, after crossing the Mandadi, reached 4 K.M. at bodu turning, R.T.C. bus bearing No. A.P. 9 Z 7832 (hereinafter