JUDGMENT :

SANDEEP SHARMA, J.

1. By way of instant appeal filed under Section 173 of Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 (in short “the Act”), challenge has been laid to award dated 31.3.2017, passed by the learned Motor Accident Claims Tribunal- (IV), Shimla, H.P. (in short “the Tribunal”) in MAC Petition RBT No. 84-S/2 of 2014, whereby the Tribunal below while allowing claim petition having been filed by the respondents-claimants (hereinafter referred to as “the claimants”) under Section 166 of the Act, saddled the appellant- Insurance Company with liability to pay compensation to the tune of Rs. 15,29,000/- to the claimants.

2. Briefly stated facts, as emerge from the record are that claimants by way of claim petition filed under Section 166 of the Act prayed for compensation to the tune of Rs. 30,00,000/- on account of death of late Smt. Nirmala Dulta i.e. wife of respondent-claimant No.1 and mother of respondents-claimants No. 2 and 3, who was employed as Watershed Participatory Development Facilitator in the department of Forests, Government of Himachal Pradesh. On 6.2.2014, deceased