TaxTMI 
TaxTMI 
2001 (4) TMI 921
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....ming compensation of Rs. 2,50,000/- was filed before the Claims Tribunal on the ground that one bus bearing registration No. G.J.3T 9815 met with an accident and Mayur, son of respondent Nos. 1 and 2, aged about 6 years died as a result thereof. The claimants also filed an application under Section 163A of the Act for interim compensation on structured formula basis. The Insurance Company- appellant contended that as the bus was not insured with it, it was not liable to pay compensation. The Claims Tribunal granted the prayer of the respondents and directed the appellant to pay Rs. 1,62,000/- to the respondents as interim compensation. The appellants preferred appeal before the High Court contending inter alia that in order to provide quicker relief to the accident victims, Section 163A was inserted and is not meant for interim compensation but is an alternative to the determination of compensation under Section 168. It was further contended that the application under Section 163A was a substantial application and not an interim application. The High Court by judgment and order dated 4.8.1998 held that the award under section 163A was an interim award and the claimants were entitle....
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....ty-five thousand rupees. (3) In any claim for compensation under sub-section (1), the claimant shall not be required to plead and establish that the death or permanent disablement in respect of which the claim has been made was due to any wrongful act, neglect or default of the owner or owners of the vehicle or vehicles concerned or of any other person. (4) A claim for compensation under sub-section (1) shall not be defeated by reason of any wrongful act, neglect or default of the person in respect of whose death or permanent disablement the claim has been made nor shall the quantum of compensation recoverable in respect of such death or permanent disablement be reduced on the basis of the share of such person in the responsibility for such death or permanent disablement. (5) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (2) regarding the death or bodily injury to any person, for which the owner of the vehicle is liable to give compensation for relief, he is also liable to pay compensation under any other law for the time being in force; Provided that the amount of such compensation to be given under any other law shall be reduced from the am....
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....or the purpose; (c) scheme means the scheme framed under section 163. (2) Notwithstanding anything contained in the General Insurance Business (Nationalisation) Act, 1972 (57 of 1972) or any other law for the time being in force or any instrument having the force of law, the General Insurance Corporation of India formed under section 9 of the said Act and the insurance companies for the time being carrying on general insurance business in India shall provide for paying in accordance with the provisions of this Act and the scheme, compensation in respect of the death of, or grievous hurt to, persons resulting from hit and run motor accidents. (3) Subject to the provisions of this Act and the scheme, there shall be paid as compensation (a) in respect of the death of any person resulting from a hit and run motor accident, a fixed sum of twenty-five thousand rupees; (b) in respect of grievous hurt to any person resulting from a hit and run motor accident, a fixed sum of twelve thousand five hundred rupees. (4) The provisions of sub-section (1) of section 166 shall apply for the purpose of making applications for compensation under t....
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....le of the authorised insurer shall be liable to pay in the case of death or permanent disablement due to accident arising out of the use of motor vehicle, compensation, as indicated in the Second Schedule, to the legal heirs or the victim, as the case may be. Explanation. For the purposes of this sub-section, permanent disability shall have the same meaning and extent as in the Workmens Compensation Act, 1923 (8 of 1923). (2) In any claim for compensation under sub-section (1), the claimant shall not be required to plead or establish that the death or permanent disablement in respect of which the claim has been made was due to any wrongful act or neglect or default of the owner of the vehicle or vehicles concerned or of any other person. (3) The Central Government may, keeping in view the cost of living by notification in the Official Gazette, from time to time amend the Second Schedule. 163B. Option to file claim in certain cases.Where a person is entitled to claim compensation under section 140 and section 163A, he shall file the claim under either of the said sections and not under both. 167. Option regarding claims for compensation in certain cases. N....
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....e Claims Tribunal to determine the amount of compensation which appears to it to be just and specify person or persons to whom compensation is to be paid by making an award. Such award shall also specify the amount which shall be paid by the insurer or owner or driver of the vehicle involved in the accident or by all or any of them, as the case may be. Proviso to sub-section (1) of Section 168 makes it clear that in an application which is filed under Section 165, if there is a claim for compensation under Section 140 in respect of death or permanent disablement of any person, the same is to be disposed of in first place in accordance with provisions of Chapter X (i.e. Sections 140 to 143). Legislative HistoryStatement of Objects and Reasons: From the provisions quoted above, it appears that no specific mention is made that remedy provided under Section 163A is in addition or in the alternative to the determination of compensation on the basis of fault liability. Section 163A was not there in the original Act of 1988. It was inserted by Act No. 54 of 1994 w.e.f. 14.11.1994. Hence, for arriving at the proper conclusion, it would be necessary to cull out legislative intent by refe....
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....asing volume of traffic, the motor vehicles upon the roads may be regarded to some extent as coming within the principle of liability defined in Rylands v. Fletcher, [1868] L.R. 3 H.L.330, 340. From the point of view of the pedestrian the roads of this country have been rendered by the use of the motor vehicles highly dangerous. Hit and run cases where the drivers of the motor vehicles who have caused the accidents are not known are increasing in number. Where a pedestrian without negligence on his part is injured or killed by a motorist, whether negligently or not, he or his legal representatives as the case may be should be entitled to recover damages if the principle of social justice should have any meaning at all. In order to meet to some extent the responsibility of the society to the deaths and injuries caused in road accidents there has been a continuous agitation through out the world to make the liability for damages arising out of motor vehicles accidents as a liability without fault. In order to meet the above social demand on the recommendation of the Indian Law Commission Chapter VIIA was introduced in the Act. Sections 92-A to 92-E of the Act are to be found in Chapt....
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....ccidents Claims Tribunal in the usual course. The Committee also recommended that the decision of the insurer to accept liability before the expiry of the stipulated period should be the final one and after it is available it will be open to the insured to claim compensation under the structured compensation. Further, the statement of objects and reasons for amending the Act inter alia mentions that the recommendations of the Review Committee were forwarded to the State Governments for comments and they generally agreed with these recommendations. The draft of the proposals based on the recommendation of the Review Committee and representations from the public were placed before the Transport Development Council for seeking their views in the matter. The Transport Development Council made certain suggestions and the relevant suggestion is,(b) providing adequate compensation to victims of road accidents without going into long drawn procedure. The proposed legislation inter alia provide for (h) increase in the amount of compensation to the victims of hit and run cases; (k) a new pre-determined formula for payment of compensation to road accident victims on the basis of age/income....
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....inor, loss of income on account of loss of limb etc. can be notified and the affected party can then have option of their accepting lump sum compensation under the scheme of structural compensation or of pursuing his claim through the normal channels. The Report of the Review Committee was considered by the State Governments and comments were notified. Thereafter, the Transport Development Council made suggestions for providing adequate compensation to victims of road accidents without going into long drawn procedure. As per the objects and reasons, it is a new pre-determined formula for payment of compensation to road accidents victims on the basis of age/income which is more liberal and rational. On the basis of the said recommendation after considering the Report of the Transport Development Council, the Bill was introduced with a new pre-determined formula for payment of compensation to road accident victims on the basis of age/income which is more liberal and notional, i.e. Section 163A. It is also apparent that compensation payable under Section 163A is almost based on relevant criteria for determining the compensation such as annual income, age of the victim and multiplier t....
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....s structured formula basis which itself is based on relevant criteria for determining compensation and the procedure of paying compensation after determining the fault is done away. Compensation amount is paid without pleading or proof of fault, on the principle of social justice as a social security measure because of ever increasing motor vehicles accidents in a fast moving society. Further, the law before insertion of Section 163-A was giving limited benefit to the extent provided under Section 140 for no fault liability and determination of compensation amount on fault liability was taking long time. That mischief is sought to be remedied by introducing Section 163A and the disease of delay is sought to be cured to a large extent by affording benefit to the victims on structured formula basis. Further, if the question of determining compensation on fault liability is kept alive it would result in additional litigation and complications in case claimants fail to establish liability of the owner of the defaulting vehicles. Use of specific words also and in addition in Sections 140 and 141: The aforesaid conclusion gets support from the language used in Sections 140, 141, 16....
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....ity, the claim for compensation under Section 140 is to be disposed of in the first place and as provided in sub-section (3) the amount received under sub-section (2) of Section 140 is to be adjusted while paying the compensation on the principle of fault liability. On the basis of fault liability if additional amount is required to be paid then the claimant is entitled to get the same but there is no provision for refund of the amount received under Section 140(2), even if the Claims Tribunal arrives at the conclusion that the claimant was not entitled to get any compensation on the principle of fault liability. Further, Section 144 gives overriding effect to the provisions made under Chapter X by providing that the provisions of the chapter shall have effect notwithstanding any thing contained in any provision of the Act or of any other law for the time being in force. From the aforesaid Sections, one aspect is abundantly clear that right to claim compensation on the basis of no-fault liability under Section 140 is in addition to the right to claim compensation on the principle of fault liability or right to get compensation under any other law. Such amount is required to be redu....
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....n is awarded under any other provision of this Act or any other law or otherwise, so much amount as is equal to the compensation paid under Section 161 is required to be adjusted or refunded to the insurer. Under section 162(2), duty is cast on the Tribunal, Court or other authority awarding such compensation to verify as to whether in respect of such death or bodily injury, compensation has already been paid under Section 161 and to make adjustment as required thereunder. Result isclaimant is not entitled to have additional compensation but at the same time he can proceed by filing application under Section 165 or under the Workmen Compensation Act (i.e. other law) and if he gets compensation under either of the said provisions, the amount paid under Section 161 is to be refunded or adjusted. The contention of the learned counsel for the claimants that compensation payable under Section 163A is in addition to the determination of compensation on the basis of fault liability and thereafter it could be adjusted on the similar lines provided under Section 140 read with Section 141 or Section 162 cannot be accepted. The Legislature has specifically provided scheme of adjustment of ....
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....t or of any other law for the time being in force. In sub-section (2), the legislature has specifically provided that a claim for compensation under Section 140 shall be disposed of as expeditiously as possible and where compensation is also claimed in pursuance of any right on principle of fault, the application under Section 140 is to be disposed of in first place. Whereas, there is no such reference for payment of compensation under Section 163A. Further, in Section 161(2), the legislature has used the phrase any other law for the time being in force and provisions of this Act. Similarly, in Section 162, the legislature has used the words under any other provisions of this Act or any other law or otherwise. As against this, in Section 163A, legislature has used the phrase notwithstanding anything contained in this Act or in any other law for the time being in force. When the Legislature has taken care of using different phrases in different sections, normally different meaning is required to be assigned to the language used by the Legislature unless context otherwise requires. However, in relation to the same subject matter, if different words of different import are used in the....
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....e said phrase as owner of the motor vehicle of authorised insurer as owner of the motor vehicle or authorised insurer on the assumption that of is wrongly used, then also it is their contention that Section 163A envisages payment either by the authorised insurer or by the owner of the motor vehicle. It has wider implication and, therefore, compensation beyond maximum of Rs. 50000/- is provided in Second Schedule and hence the payment under Section 163A should not be considered as alternative to payment of compensation under the fault liability. In our view, it is true that Section 140 talks of payment of compensation by the owner of the vehicle, while Section 163A after reading of as or would mean that owner of the vehicle or the authorised insurer would be liable to pay compensation under Section 163A. But that would not make any difference because determination of compensation under Section 163A is final and not as an interim measure. As stated above, the legislature has deliberately not provided that it is in addition to the compensation payable on the principle of fault liability. There is no provision for adjusting the compensation payable under Section 163A with the other pay....
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....nment for revision and appropriate correction of the Second Schedule, which provides for payment of compensation on structured formula basis, by exercise of its power under Section 163A(3). The learned counsel for the parties submitted that in U.P. State Road Transport Corporation and others v. Trilok Chandra and others [(1996) 4 SCC 362 Para 18] this Court has pointed out errors in the Second Schedule thus: We must at once point out that the calculation of compensation and the amount worked out in the Schedule suffers from several defects. For example, in Item 1 for a victim aged 15 years, the multiplier is shown to be Rs. 3000. The total should be 3000x 15=45,000 but the same is worked out at Rs. 60,000. Similarly, in the second item the multiplier is 16 and the annual income is Rs. 9000; the total should have been Rs. 1,44,000 but is shown to be Rs. 1,71,000. To put it briefly, the table abounds in such mistakes. Neither the tribunals nor the courts can go by the ready reckoner. It can only be used as a guide. Besides, the selection of multiplier cannot in all cases be solely dependant on the age of the deceased. For example, if the deceased, a bachelor, dies at the age of....