C/SCA/2839/2022 ORDER DATED: 16/02/2023
IN THE HIGH COURT OF GUJARAT AT AHMEDABAD
R/SPECIAL CIVIL APPLICATION NO. 2839 of 2022
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KADVAJI SURSANGJI THAKOR
Versus
IFFCO TOKIO GENERAL INSURANCE CO. LTD.
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Appearance:
KAASH K THAKKAR(7332) for the Petitioner(s) No. 1
MR KK THAKKAR(2834) for the Petitioner(s) No. 1
MR CHIRAYU A MEHTA(3256) for the Respondent(s) No. 1
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CORAM:HONOURABLE MS. JUSTICE GITA GOPI
Date : 16/02/2023
ORAL ORDER
1. Learned advocate Mr.Kaash Thakkar for the petitioner submits that the petitioner before this Court is aged about 73 years making a prayer for disbursement of the amount deposited by the insurance company before the Tribunal as per the judgment and award dated 15.3.2021 passed in Motor Accident Claims Petition No.45 of 2019 and, it is also prayed to modify order dated 5.1.2022 passed by MACT (Aux.), Patan, in Misc.MACP No.626 of 2021, whereby the Tribunal has rejected application preferred by the applicant for release of an amount of Rs.5 Lacs. He submits that there were three applicants in MACP No.45 of 2019, however, today only one applicant has filed this petition for his share in the amount awarded by the Tribunal, as he wants to renovate his house. Mr.Thakkar submits that necessary documents like a certificate issued by Gram Panchayat, Visalvasna and photographs of the house to Page 1 of 9 Downloaded on : Fri Feb 17 21:13:38 IST 2023 C/SCA/2839/2022 ORDER DATED: 16/02/2023 be renovated were produced before the Tribunal, however, learned Tribunal has not appreciated the need of the claimant and had entered into the details which were unwarranted. He further states that the estimate given by the Engineer is of Rs.5 Lacs for renovation of the house.
2. Notice having been served to other side, Mr.Chirayu Mehta, appears and submits that learned Tribunal has given reasons for rejection of the application, which are justified since the award was declared only on 15.3.2021 and within a period of less than one year, application has been moved for disbursement, which does not show any bona fides.
3. The age of the applicant is 73 years. He has made a prayer to release an amount of Rs.5 Lacs for renovating the house from Fixed Deposit Receipt No.FDR2307214613 of Rs.9,12,354/- lying with account No.08410300045950, Bank of Baroda, Market Yard, Patan, which has come to the share of present applicant from the total awarded amount. The applicant has produced copy of the assessment of the house, certificate of Visalvasna Gram Panchayat, copy of his Aadhar Card, copy of FDR and photographs of his house.
4. Mr.Thakkar has placed reliance on the judgment in the case of A.V. Padma & Ors. Vs. R. Venugopal & Ors., reported in (2012) 3 SCC 378 to contend that the Tribunal is required to give a thoughtful consideration to the genuine requirements of the claimant and should avoid mechanical approach ignoring the object and spirit of the Act. A.V. Padma's Page 2 of 9 Downloaded on : Fri Feb 17 21:13:38 IST 2023 C/SCA/2839/2022 ORDER DATED: 16/02/2023 case (supra) refers to the guidelines issued in the case of General Manager, Kerala State Road Transport Corporation, Trivandrum Vs. Susamma Thomas & Ors., reported in (1994) 2 SCC 176. In Susamma Thomas's case (supra), while approving the judgment of the Gujarat High Court in the case of Muljibhai Ajarambhai Harijan Vs. United India Insurance Co. Ltd., reported in 1982 (1) GLR 756, the Apex Court has offered the following guidelines:-
"(i) The Claims Tribunal should, in the case of minors, invariably order the amount of compensation awarded to the minor be invested in long term fixed deposits at least till the date of the minor attaining majority. The expenses incurred by the guardian or next friend may, however, be allowed to be withdrawn;
(ii) In the case of illiterate claimants also the Claims Tribunal should follow the procedure set out in (i) above, but if lump sum payment is required for effecting purchases of any movable or immovable property such as, agricultural implements, rickshaw, etc., to earn a living, the Tribunal may consider such a request after making sure that the amount is actually spent for the purpose and the demand is not a ruse to withdraw money;
(iii) In the case of semi-literate persons the Tribunal should ordinarily resort to the procedure set out at (i) above unless it is satisfied, for reasons to be stated in Page 3 of 9 Downloaded on : Fri Feb 17 21:13:38 IST 2023 C/SCA/2839/2022 ORDER DATED: 16/02/2023 writing, that the whole or part of the amount is required for expanding and existing business or for purchasing some property as mentioned in (ii) above for earning his livelihood, in which case the Tribunal will ensure that the amount is invested for the purpose for which it is demanded and paid; (iv) In the case of literate persons also the Tribunal may resort to the procedure indicated in (i) above, subject to the relaxation set out in (ii) and
(iii) above, if having regard to the age, fiscal background and strata of society to which the claimant belongs and such other considerations, the Tribunal in the larger interest of the claimant and with a view to ensuring the safety of the compensation awarded to him thinks it necessary to do order;
(v) In the case of widows the Claims Tribunal should invariably follow the procedure set out in (i) above;
(vi) In personal injury cases if further treatment is necessary the Claims Tribunal on being satisfied about the same, which shall be recorded in writing, permit withdrawal of such amount as is necessary for incurring the expenses for such treatment;
(vii) In all cases in which investment in long term fixed deposits is made it should be on condition that the Bank will not permit any loan or advance on the fixed deposit and interest on the amount invested is paid monthly directly to the claimant or his guardian, as the case may be;
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(viii) In all cases Tribunal should grant to the claimants liberty to apply for withdrawal in case of an emergency. To meet with such a contingency, if the amount awarded is substantial, the Claims Tribunal may invest it in more than one Fixed Deposit so that if need be one such F.D.R. can be liquidated."
5. In the case of A.V. Padma (supra), while appreciating the guidelines issued in the case of Susamma Thomas (supra), it has been observed as under:-
"7. The expression used in guideline No. (iv) issued by this Court is that in the case of literate persons also the Tribunal may resort to the procedure indicated in guideline No. (i), whereas in the guideline Nos. (i), (ii),
(iii) and (v), the expression used is that the Tribunal should. Moreover, in the case of literate persons, the Tribunal may resort to the procedure indicated in guideline No. (i) only if, having regard to the age, fiscal background and strata of the society to which the claimant belongs and such other considerations, the Tribunal thinks that in the larger interest of the claimant and with a view to ensure the safety of the compensation awarded, it is necessary to invest the amount of compensation in long term fixed deposit.
8. Thus, sufficient discretion has been given to the Tribunal not to insist on investment of the compensation Page 5 of 9 Downloaded on : Fri Feb 17 21:13:38 IST 2023 C/SCA/2839/2022 ORDER DATED: 16/02/2023 amount in long term fixed deposit and to release even the whole amount in the case of literate persons. However, the Tribunals are often taking a very rigid stand and are mechanically ordering in almost all cases that the amount of compensation shall be invested in long term fixed deposit. They are taking such a rigid and mechanical approach without understanding and appreciating the distinction drawn by this Court in the case of minors, illiterate claimants and widows and in the case of semi-literate and literate persons. It needs to be clarified that the above guidelines were issued by this Court only to safeguard the interests of the claimants, particularly the minors, illiterates and others whose amounts are sought to be withdrawn on some fictitious grounds. The guidelines were not to be understood to mean that the Tribunals were to take a rigid stand while considering an application seeking release of the money.
9. The guidelines cast a responsibility on the Tribunals to pass appropriate orders after examining each case on its own merits. However, it is seen that even in cases when there is no possibility or chance of the feed being frittered away by the beneficiary owing to ignorance, illiteracy or susceptibility to exploitation, investment of the amount of compensation in long term fixed deposit is directed by the Tribunals as a matter of course and in a routine manner, ignoring the object and the spirit of the guidelines issued by this Court and the genuine Page 6 of 9 Downloaded on : Fri Feb 17 21:13:38 IST 2023 C/SCA/2839/2022 ORDER DATED: 16/02/2023 requirements of the claimants. Even in the case of literate persons, the Tribunals are automatically ordering investment of the amount of compensation in long term fixed deposit without recording that having regard to the age or fiscal background or the strata of the society to which the claimant belongs or such other considerations, the Tribunal thinks it necessary to direct such investment in the larger interests of the claimant and with a view to ensure the safety of the compensation awarded to him.
10. The Tribunals very often dispose of the claimant's application for withdrawal of the amount of compensation in a mechanical manner and without proper application of mind. This has resulted in serious injustice and hardship to the claimants. The Tribunals appear to think that in view of the guidelines issued by this Court, in every case the amount of compensation should be invested in long term fixed deposit and under no circumstances the Tribunal can release the entire amount of compensation to the claimant even if it is required by him. Hence a change of attitude and approach on the part of the Tribunals is necessary in the interest of justice."
6. In the case of A.V. Padma (supra), the guidelines so issued in the case of Susamma Thomas (supra), has been clarified. Hence, it could be said that sufficient discretion has been given to the tribunal to exercise, considering the need of Page 7 of 9 Downloaded on : Fri Feb 17 21:13:38 IST 2023 C/SCA/2839/2022 ORDER DATED: 16/02/2023 the applicant-claimant. In case of literate person, the Tribunal is required to give relaxation by not adopting pedantic approach of investing the money in long term FDR without recording reasons for investing the money in long term deposits. It has been observed in the case of A.V.Padma (Supra) that the Tribunal are often taking a very rigid stand and are mechanically ordering, almost in all cases, the amount of compensation to be invested in long term FDRs. The deposited money are of the claimants. In the present case, the applicant is aged about 73 years. Learned Tribunal ought to have kept in mind that the amount has been granted for welfare with benevolent object of compensating the claimants, who would be dependents of the deceased and while depositing the money in FDR, the intention would be to safeguard the interest of the claimants, but at the same time, the Tribunal is not required to take a rigid and mechanical approach without understanding the needs and requirements of an aged person, who is an septuagenarian. The applicant now desires to live in a house, which would at least cater to his comfort and needs and his requirement is genuine.
7. Thus, taking into consideration the circumstances as pleaded by the petitioner-claimant, the petition is allowed and the petitioner is permitted to have a premature withdrawal of an amount of Rs.5 Lacs from Fixed Deposit Receipt No.FDR2307214613 of Rs.9,12,354/- lying with account No.08410300045950, Bank of Baroda, Market Yard, Patan. Rest of the amount of Rs.4,12,354/- be kept in Fixed Deposit Receipt as per the direction given by Tribunal in judgment and Page 8 of 9 Downloaded on : Fri Feb 17 21:13:38 IST 2023 C/SCA/2839/2022 ORDER DATED: 16/02/2023 award dated 15.3.2021 passed in Motor Accident Claims Petition No.45 of 2019.
(GITA GOPI,J) R.S. MALEK Page 9 of 9 Downloaded on : Fri Feb 17 21:13:38 IST 2023