IN THE HIGH COURT OF ALLAHABAD
Kaushal Jayendra Thaker, J.
United India Insurance Company Limited - Appellant
Vs.
Dilbag Singh And Another - Respondent
First Appeal From Order Defective No. 641 of 2005
Decided On : 06-07-2021
Employees Compensation Act - Section 4A - Workmens' Compensation Act - Permanent disability - Claim of Compensation - award - Whether the Commissioner is legally entitled to award higher amount of compensation than the amount claimed by the claimants - Whether in the absence of any proof of income or employment the Commissioner is legally entitled to award a higher compensation than the compensation claimed - Whether Commissioner is legally justified to accept disability certificate without it being proved before him - Whether the Commissioner was legally justified to award 12% interest - Whether Commissioner was legally justified to fix the liability of payment of interest on the appellant company - respondent who was an employee, sustained injuries falling within the Workmens' Compensation AcT - He suffered permanent disability of 55% - Disability which was assessed came to be 100% as he was a driver by profession and he was injured to such an extent that the medical proof showed that at the age of age 50 years he would not be able to take up the vocation of driver - Held, Court find that appeal before the High Court did not involve any substantial question of law on the material questions set out above. In other words, in our view, the Commissioner decided all the material questions arising in the case properly on the basis of evidence adduced by the parties and rightly determined the compensation payable to the respondent - Rightly affirmed by the High Court on facts - Findings being concurrent findings of fact of the two courts below are binding on this Court. Even otherwise, we find no good ground to call for any interference on any of the factual findings - None of factual findings are found to be either perverse or arbitrary or based on no evidence or against any provision of law - As far as the question no. 5 is concerned, it is statutory provision under Section 4A of Employees Compensation Act that the amount be paid with 12% rate of interest. The questions no. 1 to 5 are answered against the appellant and in favour of the respondent – Appeal dismissed.
JUDGMENT :
Kaushal Jayendra Thaker, J.
1. Heard Sri Arvind Kumar, assisted by Sri Komal Mehrotra, learned counsel for the appellant through video conference and perused the record.
2. This appeal, at the behest of the United India Insurance Company Limited, challenges the judgment and order dated 16.12.2004 passed by Commissioner Workmen's Compensation, Ghaziabad/Assistant Labour Commissioner U.P. Ghaziabad in W.C.A. Case No.23 of 2004 whereby the Court below had allowed the appeal upturning the decision of the medical board.
3. Substantial questions of law which are framed by the appellant herein read as under :-
(ii) Whether in the absence of any proof of income or employment the Commissioner is legally entitled to award a higher compensation than the compensation claimed ?
(iii) Whether the Commissioner is legally justified to accept disability certificate without it being proved before him ?
(iv) Whether the Commissioner was legally justified to award 12% interest ?
(v) Whether the Commissioner was legally justified to fix the liability of payment of interest on the appellant company ?
4. Brief facts as culled out from the record are that the respondent who was an employee, sustained injuries falling within the Workmens' Compensation Act. He suffered permanent disability of 55%. However, the disability which was assessed came to be 100% as he was a driver by profession and he was injured to such an extent that the medical proof showed that at the age of age 50 years he would not be able to take up the vocation of driver.
5. In that view of the matter, Workmens' Commissioner held that he suffered 100% disability. The Commissioner has relied on the decision of this High Court in National Insurance Company Limited Vs. Sri Krishna Mehta and another, hence it cannot be said that the said finding is in any way perverse calling for any interference by this Court.
6. The appeal under Workmen Compensation Act/Employees State Insurance Act has to be viewed very seriously in view of the judgment in Golla Rajanna Etc. Etc. Vs. Divisional Manager and Another, 2017 (1) TAC 259 (SC) and Oriental Insurance Company Ltd. Vs. Siby George & Ors, 2012 Law Suit (SC) 470.
7. The finding of fact is that the injured was an employee who had sustained injury during employment and was incapacitated to the tune of 100%. This finding cannot be interfered as it is not perverse.
8. I am supported in my view by the decision of the Apex Court in Civil Appeal No.7470 of 2009 North East Karnataka Road Transport Corporation Vs. Smt. Sujatha decided on 2.11.2018 wherein the Court has held as under:
16. Now coming to the facts of this case, we find that the appeal before the High Court did not involve any substantial question of law on the material questions set out above. In other words, in our view, the Commissioner decided all the material questions arising in the case properly on the basis of evidence adduced by the parties and rightly determined the compensation payable to the respondent. It was, therefore, rightly affirmed by the High Court on facts.
17. In this view of the matter, the findings being concurrent findings of fact of the two courts below are binding on this Court. Even otherwise, we find no good ground to call for any interference on any of the factual findings. None of the factual findings are found to be either perverse or arbitrar
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