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1968 Supreme(Guj) 49

Gujarat High Court
Judgename :A.S.SARELA
ZARIN RUSTOMJI MUNSHI - Appellant
Versus
SANTUBHAI MANILAL PATEL - Respondent
S.C.A. 261 of 1961
Decided On : 04/24/1968

Advocates Appeared: K.C.SHAH, N.R.ISRANI

Headnote:

Motor Vehicles Act 1939 – Secs. 110a (3) and 110f – Jurisdiction – Whether the Claims Tribunal or the Civil Court had jurisdiction to entertain and decide the claim under consideration is now concluded 80 far as this Court is concerned by the decision of this Court in Natverlal v. Khodaji (VIII G. L. R. 771 ) – Held, Court rejected that contention observing :it is admitted that an application under sec. 14 of the Arbitration Act was even in the trial Court – It is further admitted that the award was filed in Court as a result of that application and objections to the said award were invited – Respondent filed objections and the Court adjudicated on those objections after going into the matter – Court finally dismissed the application for filing the award – Order of the trial Court therefore amount to an order setting aside the award and would therefore be appealable – Reference in this connection may be made to a decision of the Patna High Court in Jagdish Mahton v. Sander Mahton (A. I. R. 1949 Pat. 393 ) – Therefore in that case the Court had decided the matter on merits and this order W88 held to amount to setting aside of the sward – Decision of Madhya Pradesh High Court is based on the ground that refusal to go into the claim of damages to the car amounted to refusal to make an award and the refusal to make an award amounted to making an award That conclusion may be valid in the particular circumstances of that case – In fact that is how the counsel for the appellant in that case had placed his case – But assuming that the decision defines the word award so as to cover an order refusing to enquire into and adjudicate on the ground of want of jurisdiction that view cannot with respect be accepted for the reasons earlier Indicated – Order Accordingly

A. S. SARELA, J.

( 1 ) THE special civil application No. 261/67 and the civil revision application No. 227/67 are both concerned with a claim arising out of the same accident called by a motor vehicle and as they raise identical questions and have been argued together they are being disposed of by a common judgment.

( 2 ) THE material facts are these. One Miss Zarin Rustomji Munshi is the petitioner in both the cases. She was studying in M. Sayajirao University Baroda when while she was proceeding on the university road also known as the national highway road on her bicycle on 6-2-1963 at scout 8. 50 A. M. she was knocked down by a motor truck No. GTA 5429. That truck was driven by one Santubhai Manibhai Patel who is respondent No. 1 in both the cases. The truck belonged to one Bhupendra Chunilal Patel who is respondent No. 2 in both the cases. Respondent No. 3 in the special civil application is the Universal Fire and General Insurance Company. That Company is not made a party to the civil revision application. After the accident because of the serious injuries sustained by the petitioner she was removed to the hospital and was an indoor patient upto 26-2-1964. After her discharge from the hospital she made a claim for compensation under the relevant provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act 1939 (hereinafter referred to as the Act) to be presently mentioned before the Claims Tribunal constituted under the Act. The Claims Tribunal for the area in question was the District Judge Baroda. Before the Claims Tribunal it was urged on behalf of the opponent namely the driver of the motor truck the owner and Insurance Company that the Claims Tribunal had no jurisdiction as It had been constituted after the date of the accident. That contention was upheld by the Claims Tribunal and the application for compensation was ordered to be returned to the applicant for presentation to the proper Court. This order was passed on 26-7-1965. The petitioner then approached the Civil Court. Senior Division at Baroda which would in that case have jurisdiction to entertain her claim That suit was filed on 8-10-1965. Before the Civil Court it was urged on behalf of the driver of the truck and the owner who were party-defendants in the suit that the Civil Court had on jurisdiction as the jurisdiction lay exclusively with the Claims Tribunal even if that Tribunal had been constituted after the date of the accident as that tribunal was made. That contention was accepted by the Court on the basis of a decision of this High Court to be presently mentioned. The Court therefore made an order returning to plaint to the plaintiff for presenting it before the Claims Tribunal to establish her claim. this order was made on 27-6-1966. In September 1966 these two petitions were filed namely the special civil application and the civil revision application.

( 3 ) THE point whether the Claims Tribunal or the Civil Court had jurisdiction to entertain and decide the claim under consideration is now concluded 80 far as this Court is concerned by the decision of this Court in Natverlal v. Khodaji (VIII G. L. R. 771 ). The facts of that case being similar to the facts of the present case may be mentioned. There the accident arising from the driving of the motor truck took place on 26th July 1962 and in that accident one Somaji Khodaji met with his death. On that date there was no Claims Tribunal in existence for the area concerned. The Claims Tribunal for that area was constituted by a Notification Issued under sec. 110 of the Act on 28th June 1963. Now the representatives of the deceased Somaji preferred an application before the Claims Tribunal on 24th July 1963 claiming compensation for the death of Somaji. The application was directed against the owner of the motor truck the driver of the motor truck and the insurance company with whom the truck was insured. They contended that since the accident had occurred prior to the constitution of the Claims Tribunal or at any rate be
















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