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2011 Supreme(Gau) 193

IN THE HIGH COURT OF GAUHATI (AGARTALA BENCH)
Arun Chandra Upadhyay, J.
The New India Assurance Company Ltd. – Appellants
Vs.
Smt. Rekha Paul, W/o Sri Niranjan Paul and Smt. Shilarani Ghosh, W/o Sri Sishir Kanti Ghosh – Respondent
C.R.P. No. 22 of 2010
Decided On: 08.03.2011

Advocates Appeared:
For Appellant/Petitioner/Plaintiff: P.K. Dhar, Adv.
For Respondents/Defendant: T.D. Majumder, Adv.

Headnote:

Constitution of India ,1950 - Article 227 – Acts 1988, 1923 – Code of Civil Procedure,1908 - Section 114 - M.V. Act, 1988 - Sections 169 and 168 - Industrial Disputes Act - Section 11 - Praying for compensation - Liability of payment of compensation - Member Motor Accidents claims Tribunal, praying for compensation - Account of injuries sustained by her in a motor vehicle accident caused by Auto Canter No.- Claim case was contested by owner and driver of vehicle as well as by insurer i.e. New India Assurance Company Ltd - Learned Member, MACT, Sonamura after holding enquiry in claim case, passed judgment and award directing owner of vehicle - Respondent herein to pay compensation of to claimant - Held, Clear that power of review vests with Tribunal in its inherent power under Section 169 of Motor Vehicles Act though Rule of M.P. Motor Vehicles Rules, has not expressly provided for application of Order Code of Civil Procedure review application is maintainable when it is sought due to a procedural defect, or inadvertent error committed by Tribunal, to prevent abuse of its process - Such power inheres in Tribunal - Contention of learned Counsel for non-applicant cannot be accepted that power of review is not provided by statute, therefore, it cannot review its own order - Considered by me earlier, wide powers are vested with Tribunal under Section 169 of Motor Vehicles Act – Review on limited grounds as mentioned above is permissible - Petition dismissed

JUDGMENT

A.C. Upadhyay, J.

1. By this petition under Article 227 of the Constitution of India, the Petitioner has challenged the power and jurisdiction of the learned Member, Motor Accident Claims Tribunal, Sonamura, West Tripura to review its own order in Misc. (Review) 04 of 2009, arising out of T.S. (MAC) 35 of 2008.

2. Heard Mr. P.K. Dhar, learned Counsel for the Petitioner. Also heard Mr. T.D. Majumder, learned Counsel, for the Respondents.

3. Sans elaborate details, necessary facts, for the purpose of disposal of this petition, may be stated, as follows:

Smt. Rekha Paul, preferred T.S.(MAC) 35 of 2008, before the Member Motor Accidents claims Tribunal, Sonamura, praying for compensation, on account of injuries sustained by her in a motor vehicle accident caused by Auto Canter No. TR-01-D-1687. The claim case was contested by the owner and the driver of the vehicle as well as by the insurer i.e. New India Assurance Company Ltd. The learned Member, MACT, Sonamura after holding enquiry in the claim case, passed the judgment and award dated 04.04.2009, directing the owner of the vehicle, Respondent No. 1 herein to pay compensation of Rs. 2,84,660/-to the claimant .

The owner of the vehicle, Respondent No. 1, being aggrieved, preferred a review application under Order 47 Rule 1 read with Section 114 of the Code of Civil Procedure, before the learned Member, Motor Accident Claims Tribunal, Sonamura, for review of the said judgment and order. In the aforesaid review application, Respondent No. 1 had sought for modification and correction of the error apparent on the face of the records, due to misinterpretation with a direction upon the New India Assurance Company Ltd. to satisfy the award of compensation. The Petitioner Insurance company, contested the review application by filing written statement. After hearing the parties, the learned Member, Motor Accident Claims Tribunal, passed the impugned order dated 02.12.2009, allowing the review application filed by Respondent No. 1 and accordingly modified and corrected the technical error in the judgment and award dated 04.04.2009, passed in TS (MAC) No. 35 of 2008, by shifting the liability of payment of compensation, upon the Petitioner-Insurance Company.

4. The moot question for consideration revolves round the issue as to whether the provisions of Order 47 read with Section 114 of the Code of Civil Procedure Code, can be pressed into service to extend the relief sought for by the Petitioner. Learned Counsel for the Petitioner contended that the impugned order passed by the learned Tribunal modifying its earlier order dated 04.04.2009 is without jurisdiction and, therefore, has prayed for quashing the said order dated 02.12.2009 passed by the learned Tribunal.

5. In support of his contention, learned Counsel for the Petitioner by referring to the provision of Section 169 of the M.V. Act, 1988, submitted that a Claims Tribunal would not have jurisdiction to entertain a review petition against any judgment and award passed by it.

6. According to the learned Counsel for the Petitioner, since there is no express provision of law in the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 or Rules framed there under, conferring the power of review upon the claim Tribunal, it cannot exercise review power like a Civil Court of ordinary jurisdiction, as per relevant provision of C.P.C.

7. Learned Counsel for the Petitioner referring to a decision of the Division Bench of this High Court, reported in 2007 ACJ 1341 (Goljan Nesha v. Gammon India Ltd. and Ors.), has submitted that since review power has not been specifically conferred on the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal, it will not have review jurisdiction.

8. In Goljan Nesha(supra),the issue before the Division Bench was whether the Commissioner under the Workmen's Compensation Act, had the jurisdiction either to revise or to review its own order.

9. While examining review power of the Commissioner under the Workmen's Compensation Act, 1923, and Rules framed there under, the



















































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