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1989 Supreme(Pat) 41

PATNA HIGH COURT
S.B.Sinha, J.
Hindustan Concrete Pipe
Versus
Anjali Devi
Appeal From Appellate Decree No. 50 of 1981 ;
Decided On : FEBRUARY 07, 1989

Headnote:Motor Accident Claim - Liability of the insurer - No hard and fast rule can be applied - estimate of the court must be reasonable - Tribunal must take into consideration not only the expectancy of life but also the deceaseds future prospects, chances of promotion and other relevant factors - It should also take consideration the monetary inflation and the reduced buying power (Jaganath Das case applied).

Judgment

S.B.Sinha, J.

1. This appeal arises out of a judgment and award dated 13.3.1981 passed by Mr. Anand Prasad Sinha, Judicial Commissioner, Ranchi, in M.J.C. (Motor Claim Case) No. 310 of 1980, whereby and whereunder the said learned court awarded a compensation to the extent of Rs. 30,000.00 and directed that out of the aforementioned amount of compensation Rs. 25,000.00 shall be payable by the insurance company and Rs. 5,000.00 shall be payable by the owner of the truck. The owner of the truck has preferred this appeal, inter alia, on the ground that the learned Judicial Commissioner has wrongly directed him to pay the aforementioned amount of Rs. 5,000.00 as the sum of Rs. 30,000.00 comes within the limits of the statutory liability of the insurer. However, when the appeal was taken up, Mr. Kameshwar Prasad, the learned counsel appearing on behalf of the appellant, very fairly conceded that in view of the fact that the aforementioned sum of Rs. 5,000.00 has already been deposited by the appellant to the respondent No. 1, he would not press this appeal.

2. In this case a cross-objection was filed by the claimant and Mr. S.N. Lai, the learned counsel appearing on behalf of the respondent No. 1, pressed the same.

3. The case of the applicant-respondent No. 1 was that her husband Hari Ram was a resident of Namkun. He was working in the High Tension Insulator Factory. At the time of his death he was aged about 35 years. He was getting a salary of Rs. 392.50 including basic salary of Rs. 270.00 , a sum of Rs. 100.00 as overtime and bonus at the rate of Rs. 22.50.

4. The further case of the respondent No. 1 was that apart from the aforementioned earnings the deceased also used to do part-time tailoring job and had been earning about Rs. 300.00 per month.

5. On 15.5.1980 when the accident took place, the deceased had gone to Kanta-toli Chowk on a cycle and while he was returning back, near Kanta-toli Chowk a truck bearing registration No. BHN 6864, which was allegedly being driven rashly and negligently, dashed against Hari Ram who was on his cycle killing him at the spot.

6. Thereafter the respondent No. 1 filed a claim petition before the Tribunal below claiming a sum of Rs. 1,50,000.00 by way of compensation for death of her husband in the said road accident.

7. In support of the said claim the applicant-respondent No. 1 examined herself as AW 1. She stated about the income of her husband. The factum of the accident was proved by Madho Ram, AW 2, who was an eye-witness to the occurrence. He had a shop near about the place of the occurrence. He categorically stated that the truck was being driven rashly and negligently.

8. The learned Tribunal below has come to the conclusion that the said truck belonging to the appellant was being driven rashly and negligently. The learned Tribunal below, however, without assigning any reason whatsoever came to the conclusion that an award for a sum of Rs. 30,000.00 will meet the ends of justice.

9. Mr. S.N. Lai, the learned counsel appearing on behalf of the respondent, has placed strong reliance upon a decision of the Supreme Court in Jyotsna Dey V/s. State of Assam 1987 ACJ 172 (SC).

10. In that decision the Supreme Court held that in India normal span of life of a person should be expected to be 70 years and upon a modest estimate it could have been held in the facts and circumstances of that case that the deceased would have contributed a sum of Rs. 250.00 per month for his family.

11. In the aforementioned case the Supreme Court held that a sum of Rs. 60,000.00 would be a fair amount of compensation. The learned counsel further relied upon a decision in Kewala Devi V/s. Bihar State Rajya Trans. Corporation 1988 ACJ 1049 (Patna), wherein a sum of Rs. 85,000.00 was awarded.

12. According to the learned counsel even assuming that the deceased was in a position to spend a sum of Rs. 250.00 per month in that event also according to the aforementioned decision a sum of Rs. 75,000.00 ought t











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