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2026 Supreme(Online)(AP) 145

HIGH COURT OF ANDHRA PRADESH
A. HARI HARANADHA SARMA, J
J. RAJESWARI, J. MALLESWARI, J. PADMAVATHI, J. HYMAVATHI, J. PUSHPAVATHI, J. LAKSHMAMMA – Appellant
Versus
R. GURUVAMMAL, UNITED INDIA INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED – Respondent
MOTOR ACCIDENT CIVIL MISCELLANEOUS APPEAL NO: 4049/2014



Advocates:
For the Appellants/Petitioners: T C KRISHNAN
For the Respondents: SRINIVASA RAO VUTLA

The court affirmed that just compensation should reflect true economic losses, allowing review and adjustment of previously awarded amounts based on new evidence of income.

Headnote:(A) Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 - Sections 166 and 168 - Review of compensation amount - Original amount of Rs.2,10,000/- enhanced to Rs.11,52,432/- after considering new evidence regarding deceased's income highlighted by claimants; court emphasized the need for just compensation reflecting true loss suffered. (Paras 9, 24, 25, 29)

(B) Appeal - Scope of review - A review application may be permissible to correct errors in previously decided judgments when significant evidence is overlooked or misapplied, ensuring fair determination of compensation. Court noted settled law allows for compensation to be modified even if not claimed in the original petition. (Paras 12, 24)

Facts of the case:
The appeal involved claims made by the family of the deceased Jadapalli Muni Ramayya, an Irrigation Department driver, asserting inadequate compensation for dependency loss and additional damages. (Paras 1, 3)

Findings of Court:
The court found substantial errors in calculating the deceased's contributions and granted a modified compensation amount that more closely reflects the family's losses, directing the insurance company to fulfill its liability within specified time. (Paras 28, 29)

Issues: Whether grounds existed for review of past compensation and whether the addition of new evidence regarding income warrants a modified award. (Para 9)

Ratio Decidendi: Adjustments were justified under the Motor Vehicles Act principles emphasizing just compensation and the court underscored that it is empowered to rectify previous oversights ensuring fair outcomes in compensation cases. (Paras 10, 25)

Result: Review application allowed with modified compensation granted to claimants with specified distribution among family members.

Table of Content
1. compensation adequacy and dependency loss (Para 1 , 3 , 4 , 5)
2. arguments regarding review necessity and legal precedents (Para 7)
3. court's observations on evidence and review powers (Para 9 , 12)
4. legal reasoning on compensation adjustments (Para 10)

COMMON ORDER:

Introductory:

1. Claimants in O.P.No.934 of 2003 filed appeal in M.A.C.M.A.No.4049 of 2014 questioning the adequacy of the compensation awarded by the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal-cum-Principal District Judge, Nellore (for short “the learned MACT”) under the Judgment dated 03.04.2006.

2. Claim made for Rs.15,00,000/- was partly allowed by the learned MACT and awarding a compensation of Rs.2,10,000/- in all with interest at 7.5% per annum.

3. Claimants are wife, daughters and mother of one Jadapalli Muni Ramayya (for short “the deceased”) who was working as the driver working in Irrigation Department.

4. After considering the rival contentions discarding Ex.A6 Salary Certificate relied for want of examining its author, the learned MACT adopted notional income at Rs.1,500/- per month and after deduction taken Rs.1,000/- per month as contribution and accepted Rs.12,000/- as multiplicand and applied the multiplier „15‟. Awarded a compensation of Rs.1,80,000/- towards loss of dependency, Rs.15,000/- towards non-pecuniary damages and Rs.15,000/- towards loss of consortium. In all, the claimants are entitled for Rs.2,10,000/-.

5. In the appeal, this Court under the Judgment dated 27.07.2017, observed that the notional income of Rs.1,500/- per month was taken by the learned MACT and that the same require no interference. However, the compensation amount was enhanced from Rs.2,10,000/- to Rs.2,30,200/-.

Scope of present appeal and applications:

6(i). I.A.No.2 of 2017 is filed by the claimants with a prayer for review of the judgment made in M.A.C.M.A.No.4049 of 2014 by this Court under orders dated 27.07.2017

(ii). I.A.No.5 of 2017 in I.A.No.2 of 2017 is filed by the claimants with a prayer for permitting the claimants to enhance the claim made from Rs.15,00,000/- to Rs.26,53,560/- in terms of Order 6 Rule 17 r/w. 151 of CPC and Rule 28 of Civil Rules of Practice.

(iii). I.A.No.6 of 2017 in I.A.No.2 of 2017 is filed by the claimants with a prayer for considering the additional evidence in respect of pay particulars etc. of the deceased.

Grounds and Arguments, Analysis and Findings:

7. I.A.No.2 of 2017 is filed on the grounds:

(i) As per Ex.A6 Salary certificate, the deceased was a Government Jeep driver and his employment is not denied. Age of deceased was ‟45‟ years. He was hale and healthy, earning Rs.12,617/- as gross salary and Rs.10,569/- as net salary. Eight years, six months and 23 days of service were remaining as on the date of accident. For the age group of 40-50 years, 30% future prospects are to be added as per the observations of the Supreme Court.

(ii). There is no bar for awarding more compensation than what is claimed, as per the settled law.

(iii). There is an error apparent on the face of record in not properly calculating the income.

(iv). If the income is properly taken and calculation is properly made, the entitlement of claimants for compensation is as follows:

(v). Settled law was not properly considered by this Court. Therefore, the judgment dated 17.07.2017 in M.A.C.M.A.No.4049 of 2014 by this Court requires review.

8(i). Arguments are submitted in the same lines, whereas Sri Srinivasa Rao Vutla, learned counsel for the respondents, would submit that there are no grounds to interfere for exercising the power of review.

(ii). The jurisdiction of review is very limited and exercising such review in the present case would amount to sitting in appeal over its own judgment by the same Court and the review shall not be a rehearing of the appeal over again on merits.

9. The points that arise for consideration in this application / petition are:

1) Whether there are sufficient grounds to consider the additional evidence in respect of pay particulars of the

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