2012 Supreme(Gau) 828
IN THE HIGH COURT OF GAUHATI
A.K.GOSWAMI, J.
National Insurance Company Ltd. – Appellants
Vs.
Purnima Nath & Anr. – Respondent
MFA No. 28 of 2012
Decided On: 18.07.2012
For Appellant/Petitioner/Plaintiff:Mr. B.C. Das, Sr. Advocate, Mr. P.C. Paul and Ms. S. Roy
Headnote:
Workmens Compensation Act, 1923, - Section 30 – Death - Commissioner awarded an amount - amount of compensation - appellant was directed to deposit the amount of compensation within a month from date of receipt of the order failing which it was also directed that the Insurance Company will be liable to pay interest @ 12% p.a. after one month of passing of the order - Case of the claimant is that her husband was employed by one as a driver of his vehicle - Husband of the claimant was going towards Lanka in the said vehicle along with his employer and when the employer got down at Lanka for marketing, her husband was in the car - Some miscreants took away the vehicle with the driver in the car and he remained traceless and his dead body was found floating in River under Police Station. Stating that her husband used to earn a sum as salary and that he was 40 years old at the time of his death, the claim petition was filed for compensation on the basis that her husband was killed by the miscreants during the course of and arising out of his employment – Held, the injury by accident must necessarily arise both out of and in the course of employment. The words "in the course of the employment" mean in the course of the work which the workmen is employed to do and which is incidental to it. The word "arising out of employment" mean that during the course of employment, injury has resulted from some risk incidental to the duties of the service. Of course, the workman must not expose himself to an added peril or risk by his own imprudent or rash act. There must be a crucial link between the causal connection of employment with death. Coming to the facts of the instant case, it is clear that the deceased had taken his employer in the car and while the employer had got down at Lanka to do some marketing, he was sitting in the vehicle. The deceased was waiting for the employer to come back to the vehicle and at that point of time, the miscreants forcefully took the vehicle away with the deceased in the vehicle - expression "arising out of employment" cannot be confined to the mere nature of the employment. It takes within its fold obligations, conditions and incidents. It is part of the employment of the deceased to wait in the car for the employer to come back after the employer is finished with his work. Waiting for the employer in the car is within the sphere of his employment. There is always a danger or risk of a vehicle being waylaid or hijacked and this risk is incidental to the duties of a driver. The deceased was in the vehicle in course of his employment and the accident occurred out of his employment. He also did not expose himself to any added peril - Court is unable to accept the contention that the death had not occurred arising out of and in course of the employment of the deceased - Appeal dismissed.
A.K. Goswami, J.
1. This is an appeal filed by the Insurance Company under Section 30 of the Workmen's Compensation Act, 1923, for short, the Act, against the judgment and order dated 22.12.2010 passed the learned Commissioner, Kamrup (M) in W.C. Case No. 77 of 2009, whereby the learned Commissioner awarded an amount of Rs.3,41,380/- as compensation in respect of death of Narayan Nath in a vehicular accident. By the said order, the appellant was directed to deposit the amount of compensation within a month from the date of receipt of the order failing which it was also directed that the Insurance Company will be liable to pay interest @ 12% p.a. after one month of passing of the order. The case of the claimant is that her husband was employed by one Shri Deep Sarma as a driver of his vehicle No. AS-01/ X-9295 (Tata Indica). On 20.01.2007, the husband of the claimant was going towards Lanka in the said vehicle along with his employer and when the employer got down at Lanka for marketing, her husband was in the car. At that point of time, some miscreants took away the vehicle with the driver in the car and he remained traceless till 25.11.2007 and on 25.11.2007, his dead body was found floating in Kolong River under Roha Police Station. Stating that her husband used to earn a sum of Rs.4,000/- p.m as salary and that he was 40 years old at the time of his death, the claim petition was filed for compensation on the basis that her husband was killed by the miscreants during the course of and arising out of his employment.
2. In the written statement, the employer supported the case of the claimant including on the point of payment of salary and the incident leading to the death of Narayan Nath. In the written statement filed by the Insurance Company, claim was denied.
3. The claimant had adduced the evidence of the claimant and she had also exhibited certain documents in support of her claim. There was no evidence from the side of Insurance Company. The learned Tribunal on consideration of the materials on record, held that the deceased was aged about 45 years and accordingly, granted compensation of Rs.3,41,380/- which included an amount of Rs.2,500/- towards funeral cost.
4. I have heard Mr. B.C. Das, learned senior counsel for the appellant for admission of the appeal. His sole contention is that the death of the deceased did not occur in the course of and arising out of employment.
5. In order to attract the charging provisions contained in Section 3 of Act, it is necessary that:
(i) an injury must be caused to a workman;
(ii) such injury must have been caused by an accident;
(iii) it arose out of or in the course of his employment.
6. In General Manager, B.E.S.T undertaking, Bombay Vs. Mrs. Agnes, reported in AIR 1964 SC 193, the basic facts were to the effect that one Nanu Raman, who was a bus driver employed by the Corporation, after finishing his work and leaving the bus in a depot, boarded another bus to go to his residence. The said bus met with an accident as a result of which Nanu Raman expired. On a claim petition filed under the provision of the Act, a sum of Rs.3,500/- was granted as compensation by the learned Commissioner for Workmen's Compensation holding that the accident had arisen "out of and in the course of his employment." The appeal preferred by the Insurance Company in the High Court of Bombay was dismissed and in the appeal before the Supreme Court, the Supreme Court by a majority judgment stated as follows:
30. Under s. 3(1) of the Act the injury must be caused to the workman by an accident arising out of and in the course of his employment. The question, when does an employment begin and when does it cease, depends upon the facts of each case. But the Courts have agreed that the employment does not necessarily end when the "down tool" signal is given or when the workman leaves the actual workshop where he is working. There is a notional extension of both the entry and exit by time and space. The scope of