2022 Supreme(MP) 328
IN THE HIGH COURT OF MADHYA PRADESH
Vivek Agarwal, J.
Oriental Insurance Co. Ltd. v. Satendra Tiwari and another
Miscellaneous Appeal No. 920 of 2016 (J); Decided on 11.11.2022
Jayant Neekhra for appellant; A.S. Parihar for respondents.
Headnote:
Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 -- Ss. 166 and 168 -- injury case -- complaint made after more than two years -- no justification for delay -- deposition of only eye witness not corroborated -- documentary evidence also not duly supportive -- clear-cut case of false implication -- injury sustained somewhere else converted into false case of motor accident -- award not sustainable in eyes of law -- set aside. [Para 9]
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ORDER
1. Learned counsel for the parties are heard on I.A.No.4894/2016, which is an application under section 5 of the Limitation Act seeking condonation of 51 days' delay in filing of this Miscellaneous Appeal.
2. For the reasons stated in the application duly supported by the affidavit of the Deputy Manager of the Oriental Insurance Company Limited, sufficient cause is made out to condone the delay.
3. I.A.No.4894/2016 is allowed and the delay in filing of this Miscellenous Appeal is condoned.
4. This Miscellenous Appeal under section 173(1) of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 is filed by the appellant/Oriental Insurance Company Limited being aggrieved of award dated 7.11.2015 passed by Shri Gopal Shrivastava, learned II Additional Motor Accident Claims Tribunal, Rewa in Claim Case No.377/2015 awarding compensation in favour of the claimant without appreciating the evidence on record.
5. Learned counsel for the appellant submits that admittedly the accident took place on 18.1.2006. According to the evidence, which has come on record, Satendra Tiwari admits that on 18.1.2006 at about 8:00 PM, he was travelling on a Hero Honda CD Dawn Motorcycle bearing registration No.MP17-HG-1373 as a Pillion Rider from Dhekha to Rewa. The said Motorcycle was being driven by Ajay Tiwari in rash and negligent manner when it was hit by a Traffic Police Divider lying on the side of the road in front of Sakshi Travel. He had sustained compound fracture in right knee. He was taken to SGM Hospital at Rewa in the Orthopedic Ward where he remained admitted from 18.1.2006 to 19.1.2006. On his condition being serious on 19.1.2006, he was referred to Jabalpur. He was admitted in Jabalpur on 20.1.2006 and remained admitted in Jabalpur till 16.5.2006 for treatment at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Medical College, Jabalpur where Dr. H.K.T. Raza and Dr. Rehan, Orthopedic Specialists, treated the patient. All fingers of his right leg were amputated. He was subjected to four operations resulting in shortening of right leg and 50% permanent disability. He admits that since the condition of the patient was serious, he had not made any report to the Police Station but after coming from Jabalpur to Rewa, S.G.M.H Rewa Police Chowki Personnel had visited him and had taken his statement. His statement alongwith Discharge Ticket were sent to the Police Station Civil Line but those documents were returned by the Police Station Civil Line saying that the incident had not taken place within the jurisdiction of the Police Station Civil Line when on 27.2.2008, he had sent a notice to Ajay Tiwari seeking copies of registration and insurance of the Offending Vehicle and thereafter on 4.4.2004, the reply was received alongwith documents and the application was filed on 4.4.2008.
6. The claimant had examined himself and Driver of the Offending Vehicle, namely, Ajay Tiwari. Ajay Tiwari admits that on the date of the accident, he was having a learner's licence. The copy of regular licence of claimant Satendra Tiwari is not brought on record. There is evidence of R.K. Muchhariya, Senior Assistant of the Oriental Insurance Company Limited, who has deposed in Paragraph No.3 of his deposition that his Investigator had obtained information from the Public Information Office, S.P.Rewa where it was informed that no accident had taken place near Sakshi Travel on 18.1.2006. Sanjay Kumar Shrivatava too was examined, who categorically deposed that his application given to the Superintendent of Police is Exhibit D/4 and the reply furnished by the Office of the Superintendent of Police is Exhibit D/6 in which it is clearly mentioned that no report was lodged in the Police Station Civil Line nor any MLC was reported on behalf of the claimant.
7. It is mentioned in the impugned award that the Rojnamcha Sanha was not allowed to be exhibited but the fact of the matter is that is available on record and though it was mentioned by Claims Tribunal that it was obtained under Right To Information Act but there