1985 Supreme(Raj) 240
Rajasthan High Court, Jaipur Bench (Full)
N.M. Kasliwal, Mahendra Bhushan & Farooq Hasan, JJ.
Rajasthan State Road Transport Corporation - Appellant
Versus
Smt. Kistoori Devi - Respondents
F.B. Civil Misc. Appeal No. 21 of 1981
Decided On : October 17, 1985
K.N. Munshi, for Appellant; Dalip Singh, for Respondents
Headnote:(a) Motor Vehlicles Act, 1939— Sec. 110 to 110F and Fatal Accidents Act. 1855 — Secs. 1, 1A and 2—Provisions of Motor Vehicles Act are procedural and substantive both—Over riding the provisions of the Fatal Accidents Act.(b) Motor Vehicles Act,, 1939—S. 11 B—Legal representatives—Determined by the provisions of personal law—Determination of compensation and person entitled for the same—Depends on the circumstance of the case. (Para 53)(c) Fatal Accidents Act, 1955—Sec. 1A—Just compensation—loss of love & affection of spouse/children/parent— Considered. (Para 55)(d) Fatal Accidents Act, 1855—Sec. 1A—Compensations to spouse—Allowed on consortium. (Para 56)(e) Fatal Accidents Act, 1855—Sec. 1A—Loss of future happy life—Cannot be considered separately. (Para 56 )(f) Fatal Accidents Act, 1855—Sec. 1A——Mental or Nervous shock —Due to negligence—Extends only upto reasonable forseeability.
(1) Loss of love and affection of spouse/children/parents, (2) Consortium, (3) Loss of future happy life of deceased, (4) Mental shock, (5) Mental and physical agony, pain and sufferings.
2. In the opinion of the learned Single Judge, there was controversy and conflict of judgments in respect of the effect and implication of section (1) and 1 (A) of the Fatal Accidents Act (1855), compared with Section 110-B of the Act As several cases were pending before this court at Jaipur and Jodhpur and further Accident Claims Tribunal of Rajasthan were required to consider the above question in all cases of fatal accidents, in the opinion of the learned Single Judge, the question whether compensation can be allowed in fatal accident claims in all or any of the above heads, required an authoritative decision of a larger bench. In these circumstances, the matter has come up for consideration before the Full Bench.
3. In order to appreciate the arguments made by the learned counsel for the parties and the case law cited at the bar, it would be proper to quote section 1-A and section 2 of the Fatal Accidents Act and Section 110-B of the Act.
"1-A, Suit for compensation to the family of a person for loss occasioned to it by his death by actionable wrong-Whenever the death of a person shall be caused by wrongful act, neglect or default, and the act, neglect or default is such as would (if death had not ensued) have entitled the party injured to maintain an action and recover damages in respect thereof, the party who would have been liable if death had not ensued shall be liable to an action or suit for damages, notwithstanding the death of the person injured, and although the death shall have been caused under such circumstances as amount in law to felony or other crime.
(* * * ) Every such action or suit shall be for the benefit of the wife, husband , parent and child, if any, of the person whose death shall have been so caused, and shall be brought by and in the name of the executor, administrator or representative of the person deceased.
And in every such action the Court may give such damages as it may think proportioned to the loss resulting from such death to the parties respectively, for whom and for whose benefit such action shall be brought; and the amount so recovered, after deducting ail costs and expenses, including the costs not recovered from the defendant, shall be divided amongst the before mentioned parties, or any of them, in such shares as the Court by its judgment or decree shall direct.
"2. Not more than one suit to be brought provided always that not more than one action or suit shall be brought for, and in respect of the same subject matter of complaint :
Claim for loss to estate may be added provided that in any such action or suit, the executor, administrator or representative of the deceased may insert a claim for and recov