High Court Of Madhya Pradesh
S. K. JHA, K. M. AGARWAL, D. M. DHARMADHIKARI
NEW INDIA ASSURANCE CO.LTD.,gwalior - Appellant
Versus
NAFIS BEGAM - Respondents
CIV. REVN. 14 Of 1991
Decided On : 04/26/1991
S. 92-A - Interpretation of Motor Vehicles Act provisions - S. 92-A of the Act - S. 140 of the Act of 1988 - Summary of Acts and Sections: The court discussed the interpretation of S. 92-A of the Motor Vehicles Act and its applicability to pending claims before a Claims Tribunal in respect of accidents which occurred prior to 1-10-1982. The court considered the nature and content of the various legal provisions involved, including S. 92-A and S. 140 of the Act of 1988, and the legislative intent behind the Amendment Act No. 47 of 1982. The court highlighted the principle of no fault liability and the retrospective or prospective application of the law.
Fact of the Case:
The court considered the applicability of S. 92-A of the Motor Vehicles Act to pending claims before a Claims Tribunal in respect of accidents which occurred prior to 1-10-1982. The court analyzed the nature and content of the legal provisions involved and the legislative intent behind the Amendment Act No. 47 of 1982.
Finding of the Court:
The court held that the provisions of S. 92-A cannot be availed of by the parties involved in accidents which took place before 1-10-1982, i.e. the date of coming into force of S. 92-A of the Act. The court emphasized the retrospective or prospective application of the law and the legislative intent behind the Amendment Act No. 47 of 1982.
Issues: The main issue was the interpretation of S. 92-A of the Motor Vehicles Act and its applicability to pending claims before a Claims Tribunal in respect of accidents which occurred prior to 1-10-1982.
Ratio Decidendi: The court emphasized that the rights and liabilities under the Act arise on happening of the accident and not on any subsequent date. The court highlighted the principle that a law enacted is to operate prospectively unless it is expressed to be retrospective in operation by the legislature itself or the nature of the law is such that it is to operate on passed events and transactions as well.
Final Decision: The court concluded that the provisions of S. 92-A cannot be availed of by the parties involved in accidents which took place before 1-10-1982, i.e. the date of coming into force of S. 92-A of the Act. The revision and the appeal were listed before the learned single Judge at Gwalior for decision of the case on merits.
( 1 ) THE order passed by us in this revision shall govern the disposal of Miscellaneous Appeal No. 191 of 1990 (The New India Assurance Company Ltd. Gwalior v. Smt. Kasturibai w/o Late Shri Radheshyam Gautam and others) also.
( 2 ) THE learned single Judge (S. K. Dubey, J.) at the Gwalior Bench of this Court has referred the legal question involved for decision by a Full Bench in view of the cleavage of opinions between the two Division Bench decisions of this Court reported in the case of Karuram v. Omarakash, 1989 Acc CJ 941, (decided by P. D. Mulye and K. L. Shrivastava, JJ. of the Indore Bench) and the decision in the case of Indramani Makhriva v. General Manager M. P. S. R. T. C. , 1990 Jab LJ 560 (decided by Division Bench consisting of Faizan Uddin and Y. B. Suryavanshi JJ. of the main seat at Jabalpur.
( 3 ) THE question also came up for consideration before a learned single Judge at the Gwalior Bench, namely, B. C. Lahoti J. on a difference of opinion between Dr. T. N. Singh J. and K. K. Verma J. The third Judge to whom the case was referred for resolving the dispute (R. C. Lahoti J.), agreed with the opinion expressed by K. K. Verma J. The opinions of three Judges of the Gwalior Bench are reported in the case of Bhagwandas v. National Insurance Co. Ltd. , 1990 MPJR 578.
( 4 ) THE question arising before the Full Bench is whether the provisions providing for interim compensation based on the principle of no fault liability contained in S. 92-A, which was introduced by Amendment Act No. 47 of 1982 and brought into force with effect from 1-10-1982 of the M. V. Act 1939 (now repealed by M. V. Act of 1988 w. e. f. 1-7-1989), can also apply and govern the rights and liabilities of the parties in a pending claim before a Claims Tribunal in respect of accidents which occurred prior to 1-10-1982. In other words, the question is whether S. 92a of the Act has to be given only prospective operation in relation to accidents which occurred after 1-10-1982 or even to those which occurred prior to the above date.
( 5 ) AT the outset it may be stated that the Act of 1939 stands repealed by the Act of 1988 with effect from 1-7-1989 and similar provision as contained in S. 92-A of the repealed Act had been re-enacted in S. 140 of the 1988 Act with the only difference that the amounts of no fault compensation have been increased from Rs. 15,000/- to Rs. 25,000/- in case of death and from Rs. 7,000/- to Rs. 12,000/- in case of permanent disablement.
( 6 ) FOR the decision of the above legal question which is relevant both for the purpose of the provisions in S. 92-A of the repealed Act and S. 140 of the Act of 1988, it would be necessary to consider the nature and content of the various legal provisions involved. Section 92-A is a part of Chap. VII-A introduced by the Amendment Act No. 47 of 1982 and is in pari materia with S. 140 of the Act of 1988. Section 92-A under consideration before us reads as under :-"92-A. Liability to pay compensation in certain cases on the principle of no fault.- (1) Where the death or permanent disablement of any person has resulted from an accident arising out of the use of a motor vehicle or motor vehicles, the owner of the vehicle shall, or, as the case may be, the owners of the vehicles shall, jointly and severally, be liable to pay compensation in respect of such death or disablement in accordance with the provisions of this section. (2) The amount of compensation which shall be payable under sub-sec. (1) in respect of the death of any person shall be a fixed sum of fifteen thousand rupees and the amount of compensation payable under that sub-section in respect of the permanent disablement of any person shall be a fixed sum of seven thousand five hundred rupees. (3) In any claim for compensation under sub-section (1), the claimant shall not be required to plead and establish that the death or permanent disablement in respect of which the claim has been made was due to any wrong
Login now and unlock free premium legal research
Login to SupremeToday AI and access free legal analysis, AI highlights, and smart tools.
Login
now!
India’s Legal research and Law Firm App, Download now!
Copyright © 2023 Vikas Info Solution Pvt Ltd. All Rights Reserved.