Kalu Lal And Another vs Girdhar Singh And Others

Citation : 2022 Latest Caselaw 4366 Raj/2
Judgement Date : 1 July, 2022

Rajasthan High Court
Kalu Lal And Another vs Girdhar Singh And Others on 1 July, 2022
Bench: Anoop Kumar Dhand
      HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE FOR RAJASTHAN
                  BENCH AT JAIPUR

         S.B. Civil Miscellaneous Appeal No. 4528/2016

1.     Kalu Lal S/o Shri Narayan, aged 53 years,
2.     Smt. Ramchandri Bai W/o Shri Kalu Lal, aged about 51
       years
       All R/o Village Jhunwasa, Tehsil Keshoraipatan District
       Bundi Raj.
                                                      ---Claimants-Appellants
                                      Versus
1.     Girdhar     Singh       S/o    Shri     Bhairu     Singh,    R/o   Village
       Jhunwasa, Tehsil Keshoraipatan District Bundi Raj.(Driver)
2.     Ummed Singh S/o Shri Shanker Singh, R/o Village
       Jhunwasa,     Tehsil       Keshoraipatan          District   Bundi   Raj.
       (Owner)
3.     The Oriental Insurance Company Limited, Regional Office,
       Anand Bhawan, Sansar Chandra Road, Jaipur Through
       Regional Manager
                                             ---Non-Claimants-Respondents

For Appellant(s) : Mr. Sandeep Mathur, Adv. For Respondent(s) : Mr. Virendra Sarswat, Adv.

HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE ANOOP KUMAR DHAND Judgment 01/07/2022 Instant appeal has been preferred by the claimants- appellants against the judgment dated 02.06.2016 passed by the Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal, Bundi (Raj.) in MAC case No.427A/2008 (hereinafter referred to as 'Tribunal'), whereby an amount of Rs. 4,37,900/- was awarded as compensation on account of death of Dharamraj in the accident which occurred on 18.07.2008.

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(2 of 4) [CMA-4528/2016] Learned Tribunal after framing the issues, evaluating the evidence on record and hearing the counsel for the parties decided the claim petition of the claimants-appellants awarding compensation of RS. 4,37,900/- under various heads in favour of the appellants-claimants.

Learned counsel for the claimants-appellants submitted that the income of the deceased-Dharamraj was determined by treating him as a daily-wager but while assessing his income, the same was considered for 26 days only.

Counsel further submits that as per the judgment passed by the co-ordinate Bench of this Court in the case of Jalaur Singh @ Dilawar Singh & Anr. Vs. Barkat & Ors., reported in 2012 R.A.R. 499 (Raj.) wherein the minimum wages of the deceased were computed for 30 days instead of 26 days.

Counsel also submits that no amount towards future prospects has been awarded in the light of the judgment of the Hon'ble Supreme Court delivered in the case of National Insurance Company Ltd. Vs. Pranay Sethi reported in AIR 2017 (SC) 5157.

He, therefore, prays that re-computation of the award in the present case may be considered in the light of the judgments of Pranay Sethi (supra) and in the light of Jalaur Singh @ Dilawar Singh (supra).

Per contra, the learned counsel for the respondent-Insurance Company submits that the Tribunal while deciding the claim petition of the appellants-claimants has correctly taken into consideration the factors while calculating the award in this case on the anvil of evidence produced before it, thus, the judgment dated 02.06.2016 does not call for any interference by this Court. (Downloaded on 24/07/2022 at 11:05:39 PM)

(3 of 4) [CMA-4528/2016] Learned counsel for the respondent-Insurance Company, however, is not in a position to controvert the submissions made by the learned counsel for the appellants-claimants though the re-computation of the award in the present case in the light of the judgment of Pranay Sethi (supra) and in the case of Jalaur Singh @ Dilawar Singh (supra) decided by the Co-ordinate Bench of this Court.

Counsel for the respondent-Insurance Company submits that even as per the judgment of Hon'ble Supreme Court in the case of Pranay Sethi (supra) excess amount under the conventional heads has been granted by the Tribunal which is liable to revised by this Court.

I have considered the submissions made at the Bar and gone through the judgment dated 02.06.2016 as well as the other materials available on record.

Admittedly, the deceased was 16 years of age at the time of accident. The Tribunal while assessing his income on the basis of daily-wages has computed for 26 days only.

The Tribunal should have computed daily wages of the deceased- Dharamraj for 30 days instead of 26 days in terms of the judgment of this Court in the case of Jalaur Singh @ Dilawar Singh (supra). Further, the amount to the extent of 40% is required to be enhanced in the light of the judgment of the Hon'ble Supreme Court in the case of Pranay Sethi (supra).

Thus, the award is re-computed as under:-

Monthly income                  115/- x 30 =Rs.3450/-
Annual Income                   Rs.3450 /- x 12 = 41,400/-

Add 40 % towards future Rs.41,400 /- + 16,560/-

prospects               = 57,960/-


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                                                                             (4 of 4)                [CMA-4528/2016]


                                   Multiplier to be applied          18
                                                                     Rs.57,960 /-x 18 =1,043,280/-
                                   Less 1/2rd towards personal       Rs. 1,043,280/- - Rs. 5,21,640/- =
                                   expenses                          Rs. 5,21,640/-
                                   Towards conventional head         Rs.70,000/-
                                   Total            compensation Rs. 5,91,640/-
                                   awardable

Less amount awarded by the Rs. 5,91,640/- - Rs.4,37,900/-

                                   Tribunal                   Rs. 1,53,740/-
                                   Enhanced amount of                Rs. 1,53,740/-
                                   compensation

Thus, an amount of Rs. 1,53,740/- is enhanced in the present case. The respondent-Insurance Company is directed to pay the enhanced amount in addition to the already awarded amount awarded by the Tribunal to the claimants-appellants within a period of two months from the date of receipt of certified copy of this Judgment.

The enhanced amount shall also carry interest @ 6% per annum from the date of filing of the claim petition till its actual payment is made.

Accordingly, the appeal is disposed of with the above terms. All pending application(s), if any, also stand(s) disposed of.

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