247 IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH Date of Decision : 20.02.2026 United India Insurance Company Limited ... Appellant Versus Geeta Rani and Others ... Respondents

247-1 FAO-5000-2024 (O&M)

United India Insurance Company Limited ... Appellant Versus Kulwinder Kaur and Others ... Respondents

247-2 FAO-5003-2024 (O&M)

United India Insurance Company Limited ... Appellant Versus Ajay Sahota and Others ... Respondents CORAM : HON'BLE MRS. JUSTICE ALKA SARIN Present : Mr. Vikas Mohan Gupta, Advocate for the appellant in all appeals. Mr. Man Mohan, Advocate for Mr. Vishal Goel, Advocate for respondent No.1 in FAO-5000-2024.

ALKA SARIN, J. (Oral)

CM-18969-CII-2024 in FAO-4987-2024

1. For the reasons stated in the application, the same is allowed. The delay of 10 days in filing the present appeal is condoned.

FAO-4987-2024, FAO-5000-2024 & FAO-5003-2024

2. Present order shall dispose off the above-captioned appeals. Though service is not complete in the appeals being FAO-4987-2024 and FAO-5003-2024, however, learned counsel for the appellant-Insurance Company in FAO-5000-2024 insists on arguing the main appeal as the service in the said appeal is complete. Since the question involved in all the three appeals is the same, they are being taken up for hearing together. As the decision of the appeals, which is to follow, is in favour of the claimants, their interest would not be adversely affected.

3. Present appeals have been preferred by the Insurance Company challenging the awards dated 01.07.2024 passed by the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal, Patiala (hereinafter referred to as the ‘Tribunal’) separately on the ground that present is a false case which was planted on the insured offending vehicle.

4. The parties are being referred to as the Insurance Company, claimants as well as driver of the offending vehicle for the sake of clarity. For the sake of convenience, the facts and evidence are being extracted from the appeal being FAO-5000-2024 as the facts and evidence are identical in all the cases. Learned counsel for the Insurance Company has also admitted that the facts and evidence in all the appeals are identical.

5. The brief facts relevant to the present lis are that on 13.05.2021 at about 09:00 am Sandeep Kumar (deceased in FAO-4987-2024), Bikramjit Singh (deceased in FAO-5000-2024) and Urvinder Sahota (deceased in FAO- 5003-2024) were coming back from a factory at Bhadson after completing their night shift/night duty on a motorcycle bearing registration No.PB-34-B-

2669. They were being followed by Anil Sahota son of Gurbax Singh and father of one of the deceased, in a car. Due to traffic, the motorcycle went ahead. At about 09.30 am, when Ajay Sahota reached within the limits of Sakrali near Bandranwali Pipli on main Nabha Road, he saw three dead bodies lying on the road out of which one dead body was of his son Urvinder Sahota however the other two people whose dead bodies were lying on the road were not known to him. Ajay Sahota registered FIR No.50 dated 13.05.2021 for offences under Sections 279, 304-A and 427 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860. During the course of investigation, one Malkiat Singh son of Sher Singh resident of village Badali, Police Station Amloh made a statement to the police that on 13.05.2021, after carrying out repair of a broken-down Crane, he was going to his village from Nabha on his bicycle. At about 09.30 am when he reached Bandranwali Pipli on the main road, a white colour car crossed him which was being driven at a very high speed and hit the motorcycle which was coming from the other side on which three people were riding. He stated that he noted down the registration number of the car as HR-32-J-9274 (hereinafter referred to as the ‘offending vehicle’). The driver of the offending vehicle ran away from the spot. Malkiat Singh was cited as one of the eye- witnesses. Challan was presented under Section 173 CrPC. Three claim petitions being MACP-223 of 2021; MACP-249-2021; and MACP-222-2021