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2012 Supreme(Raj) 1148

RAJASTHAN HIGH COURT AT JAIPUR BENCH
Prashant Kumar Agarwal, J.
United India Insurance Company Ltd. - Appellant
Versus
Shankar Lal & Anr. - Respondent
S.B. Civil Misc. Appeal No. 3813 of 2007.
Decided On : 04-01-2012

For the Appellant:Mr. Virendra Agarwal and Mr. Prateek Sharma, Advocates.
For the Respondents:Mr. Praveen Jain and Mr. Prakash Kaushik, Advocates.

Headnote:(a) Workmen's Compensation Act, 1923 – S. 2(1)(n) read with Schedule II, serial No. (xiv) and Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 – S. 147 – even if the claimant was engaged for that day only, even then he shall be considered to be a workman within the meaning of word "workman" – insurance company should grant compensation even if he was a casual worker

       (b) Workmen's Compensation Act, 1923 – S. 22 and Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 – S. 147(1) – liability of insurance company is discussed – compensation should be paid as the tractor was insured with the insurance company – workman got injury while working on the tractor

       (c) Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 – S. 147(1) – Workman working on thresher attached with tractor got injuries – insurance company should pay compensation as insurance policy covers not only the driver but any employee working on the thresher.

       (d) Workmen's Compensation Act, 1923 – S. 30(1), first proviso – appeal should be dismissed as no substantial question of law is involved – delay in lodging FIR has been considered by the learned Commissioner and the same has been rejected.

JUDGMENT

1. - Heard learned Counsel for the parties.

2. The appellant-Insurance Company has preferred this civil misc. appeal under Section 30 of the Workmen's Compensation Act, 1923 (hereinafter referred to as "the Act") against the judgment and award dated 19th July, 2007 passed by Workmen's Compensation Commissioner, Ajmer District, Ajmer in Claim Case No. W.C.C./N.F./30/2005 whereby an award for Rs. 3,12,350 along with interest has been passed in favour of the claimant-respondent Shri Shankar Lal and against the appellant-Insurance Company.

3. The brief relevant facts for the disposal of this appeal are that the claimant-respondent Mr. Shankar Lal filed a claim petition on 17th June, 2005 against the appellant and respondent No. 2 Shri Vijay Kumar claiming compensation on account of loss suffered by him due to the injuries caused in an accident allegedly occurred on 1st April, 2005 when he was working under the instructions of respondent No. 2 Shri Vijay Kumar on a thresher which was attached with the tractor bearing Registration No. RJ-01-R-1411 and which at the time of alleged accident was being used to cut the crops in the field of Mangal Ram Koli. According to the claimant, when he was working on the thresher attached with the above tractor, his right hand came in touch with it and as a result of that he lost his right hand above elbow.

4. The appellant as well as respondent-Vijay Kumar filed their respective reply to the claim petition and it was averred by them that there was no relationship of employer and employee between the respondents. The appellant-Insurance Company also averred that the thresher in question is not a motor vehicle and it was neither registered nor insured with the appellant-Insurance Company at the time of alleged accident. It was further pleaded that by way of insurance policy only the risk of the driver of the tractor was covered under the provisions of the Act and as the claimant was not a driver of the said tractor and no premium was charged by the appellant to cover the risk of any other person including the claimant, the appellant is not liable to pay compensation.

5. On the basis of pleadings, necessary issues were framed by the learned Commissioner. Oral as well as documentary evidence was produced and after hearing the respective parties, the learned Commissioner passed the impugned order and awarded an amount of Rs. 3,12,350 as compensation along with interest and it was ordered that the appellant-Insurance Company is also liable to pay the amount. Feeling aggrieved and dissatisfied by the impugned judgment and award, the appellant-Insurance Company is before this Court by way of this appeal.

6. I have heard the learned Counsel for the respective parties and also gone through the record made available for my perusal as well as the relevant legal provisions and the case law relied upon by the parties.

7. Section 30 of the Act provides that an appeal can be filed only on substantial question of law. In my view, looking to the facts and circumstances of the case, following substantial questions of law have arisen requiring consideration of this Court:

(1) Whether the claimant was a casual worker at the time of accident and as such not a "workman" within the meaning of provisions of the Act?

(2) Whether thresher is not a part of a tractor and as at the time of accident it was not separately insured with the appellant, the appellant-Insurance Company is not liable to pay compensation?

(3) Whether the tractor was insured only for the driver and not for a person working on the thresher and, (therefore, the appellant-Insurance Company is not liable to pay compensation?

8. My findings with the reasons on each of the questions raised aforesaid are as below:

(1) Although from the evidence available on record, it appears that the claimant was engaged by the respondent Shri Vijay Kumar on the date of accident on daily basis to work on the thresher, but only by that reason it cannot be held that the claimant











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