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1974 Supreme(Guj) 74

Gujarat High Court
Judgename :J.B.MEHTA, T.U.MEHTA
PREMIER INSURANCE CO.LIMITED - Appellant
Versus
GAMBHIRSING GALABSING PADHIAR - Respondent
First Appeal 566 of 1971
Decided On : 08/06/1974

Headnote:

Motor Vehicle Act, 1989 – Workmens Compensation Act 1923 – Section 95 and 96 – Accident claim – Learned Tribunal has passed award with proportionate costs thereon against original opponents of respondents Nos. 1 and 2 who are original claimants case of claimants is that deceased Ganpat alias Ebho who was aged about years was serving appellant No. 2 as a labourer and was accompanying goods vehicle belonging to second appellant as a labourer for the purpose of loading and unloading said vehicle at about present respondent No. 3 Ramanbhai Jitabhai Baraiya was driving motor truck belonging to second appellant and was going from village Godhar – Truck was loaded with sand and it is an admitted position that the deceased Ganpat was sitting on the sand which was loaded in the truck. It is said that the driver of the truck suddenly applied the brakes to truck but truck was dragged on its left hand side and fell in a nearby pit truck turned on its side and deceased Ganpat who was sitting on the sand loaded in truck fell down and received serious injuries which resulted in his death – Along with driver there was another labourer named Chhotabhai Somabhai ex. 66 who was sitting in drivers cabin – After truck fell down in pit driver Ramanbhai and Chhotabhai got out of it unhurt but deceased Ganpat received serious injuries as a result of which he ultimately died – Held, whole idea behind enacting the provisions of compulsory coverage contemplated by sec 95 is to sec to it that victims of accidents should not find themselves helpless in recovering amount of compensation awardable to them. If this was the idea there would be no sense in making a distinction between death of or injury to a workman or a passenger on one hand and the death of or injury to any other third party on other – It cannot be said that death of a workman or a passenger entails a surfering which is in any degree less than that of a third party who is not a workman or a passenger contention that unlimited liability of insurer is confined only to general and overall liability and does not refer to liability to pay compensation to individual workmen and passenger is accepted it would lead to greatly anomalous results – If this contention is accepted it would follow that the insurer would be liable to indemnify fully against compensation payable to a third party other than a workman-employee or a passenger carried for hire or in pursuance of a contract of employment but his liability to indemnify against compensation to be paid to a workman employee or a passenger would be limited. We dont find any reason which would explain such a distinction between the case of a workman- employee or a passenger on one hand and the case of any other third party of Motor Vehicles Act does not make any such distinction because sub-sec. (1) thereof contemplates the coverage of liability arising out of death of or injury to any person. Even sec. policy contemplates coverage of death of or injury to any person –Appeal is dismissed.

J. B. MEHTA, T. U. MEHTA, J.

( 1 ) THIS appeal arises out of the award passed by the Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal Baroda in Motor Accidents Claim application No. 8/70 of his file. The learned Tribunal has passed the award of Rs. 8 0 with proportionate costs thereon against the original opponents Nos. 1 to 4 in favour of the respondents Nos. 1 and 2 who are the original claimants. The case of the claimants is that the deceased Ganpat alias Ebho who was aged about 19 years was serving the appellant No. 2 as a labourer and was accompanying the goods vehicle belonging to the second appellant as a labourer for the purpose of loading and unloading the said vehicle On 28th November 1969 at about 5-30 p. m. the present respondent No. 3 Ramanbhai Jitabhai Baraiya was driving the motor truck belonging to the second appellant and was going from village Godhar. The truck was loaded with sand and it is an admitted position that the deceased Ganpat was sitting on the sand which was loaded in the truck. It is said that the driver of the truck (respondent no. 3) suddenly applied the brakes to the truck but the truck was dragged on its left hand side and fell in a nearby pit. The truck turned on its side and deceased Ganpat who was sitting on the sand loaded in the truck fell down and received serious injuries which resulted in his death. Along with the driver there was another labourer named Chhotabhai Somabhai ex. 66 who was sitting in drivers cabin. After the truck fell down in the pit the driver Ramanbhai and Chhotabhai got out of it unhurt but the deceased Ganpat received serious injuries as a result of which he ultimately died. Thus the case of the claimants is that the deceased died on account of the rash and negligent driving of the truck by respondent no. 3 Ramanbhai Jitabhai Baraiya.

( 2 ) DURING the course of the bearing of this appeal Shri Zaveri who appeared on behalf of the first appellant the Premier Insurance Co. Ltd. raised two points of law. He first contended that the Tribunal has no jurisdiction to decide this claim petition which was exclusively triable by the Commissioner working under the Workmens Compensation Act 1923 His second contention was that even if it is believed that the Tribunal had jurisdiction to try this claim petition the Insurance Co. could not be held liable to indemnify against any amount which is more than the amount which could be awarded to the insured under the provisions of the Workmens Compensation Act 1923 According to Shri Zaveri even if it is believed that the deceased was making the earning of Rs 100/- per month the Insurance Co. could be held liable only for the amount of Rs 7 0 because according to Sch. 4 of Workmens Compensation Act the workman who makes the earning of more than Rs. 100. 00 per month but less than Rs. 150. 00 per month can be awarded the compensa- tion of only Rs. 7 0 on account of his death.

( 3 ) ON behalf of the second and the third appellants who are the owners of the truck it was contended that the driver had not committed any negligence and that the learned Judge of the Tribunal has committed an error in coming to the conclusion that the deceased was handing over to the claimants the amount of Rs. 100. 00 per month.

( 4 ) WE first propose to deal with the legal contention raised by Shri Zaveri on behalf of the Insurance Co. Shri Zaveris contention regarding the jurisdiction of the Tribunal to try this matter was based on the wording of the first proviso to sub-sec. (1) of sec. 95 which says that a policy of insurance shall not be required to cover the liability in respect of death arising out of and in the course of employment of the employee of a person insured by the policy other than liability arising under the Workmens Compensation Act 1923 in respect of death of such employee. He pointed out that the liability of the employer of a workman whose case is covered by Workmens Compensation Act 1923 is required to be worked out according to this proviso in accordance

















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