The Manager Magma Hdi v. Shabana Begum and Ors

( , ( ( IN(THE(HIGH(COURT(OF(KARNATAKA((

KALABURAGI(BENCH(

THDATED(THIS(THE(10 (DAY(OF(DECEMBER,(2025(

PRESENT( THE(HON'BLE(MR.(JUSTICE(H.T.NARENDRA(PRASAD( AND(( THE(HON'BLE(MR.(JUSTICE(TYAGARAJA(N.(INAVALLY( MISCL.(FIRST(APPEAL(NO.(200215(OF(2024((MV-D)( BETWEEN:(( (

THE,MANAGER,, MAGMA,HDI,GENERAL,INSURANCE,CO.,LTD.,,, NDR/O.,2 ,FLOOR,,36,JC,ROAD,,

NEAR,MINERVA,CIRCLE,,BANGALORE,, NOW,REPRESENTED,BY,AUTHORISED,SIGNATORY,, RESIDENCY,ROAD,,BANGALORE.,

, …APPELLANT, ,

(BY,SRI.,PREETI,PATIL,MELKUNDI,,ADVOCATE), , Digitallytisignedtiby AND:( VARSHA0N (RASALKAR Location:0HIGH 1., SHABANA,BEGUM,W/O,MOHD.,TAJODDIN,, COURT0OF KARNATAKA AGE:,27,YEARS,,OCC:,HOUSEHOLD,, ,

2., MUNAZZA,TASKEEN,D/O,MOHD.,TAJODDIN,, AGE:,06,YEARS,,MINOR,, ,

3., TANZILA,ANJUM,D/O,MOHD.,TAJODDIN,, AGE:,08,YEARS,,MINOR,, , RESPONDENT,NO.,2,AND,3,HEREIN,ARE,MINORS,, U/G,OF,THEIR,NATURAL,MOTHER,, RESPONDENT,NO.1,IS,HEREIN., , ( , ( (

4., MOULAM,SAB,S/O,MASTAN,SAB,, AGE:,71,YEARS,,OCC:,NIL,, ,

5., BEGUM,BEE,W/O,MOULAN,SAB,, AGE:,61,YEARS,,OCC:,NIL,, , ALL,ARE,R/O.,E-7-990/6B,,NEAR,BOMBAY,, HOTEL,NAYA,MOHALLA,MIJGORI,, KALABURAGI-585,101., ,

6., MOHAMMED,EHTESHAM,S/O,MOHAMMED,, IBRAHIM,,AGE:,46,YEARS,,, OCC:,OWNER,OF,APPE,XTRA,LD,PICK,UP,VEHICLE,, R/O,H.NO.,7964/1/88,JAWAR,E,HIND,SCHOOL,,, G,ESUDARAZ,COLONY,,NEAR,HAJRE,MASJID,, KALABURAGI-585,101., , …RESPONDENTS, , (BY,SRI.,SANJEEV,PATIL,,ADVOCATE,FOR,C/R1,TO,C/R5, R6,IS,SERVED), , , THIS, MISCELLANEOUS, FIRST, APPEAL, IS, FILED, UNDER, SECTION, 173, (1), OF, THE, MOTOR, VEHICLES, ACT, 1988,, PRAYING,TO,,CALL,FOR,THE,RECORDS,AND,ALLOW,THE,ABOVE, APPEAL, BY, SETTING, ASIDE, THE, IMPUGNED, JUDGMENT, AND, AWARD,DATED,09.10.2023,IN,MVC,NO.605/2022,PASSED,BY, STTHE, I , ADDITIONAL, SENIOR, CIVIL, JUDGE, AND, MACT, AT, KALABURAGI., , THIS, APPEAL,, COMING, ON, FOR, ORDERS,, THIS, DAY,, JUDGMENT,WAS,DELIVERED,THEREIN,AS,UNDER:, CORAM:, HON'BLE,MR.,JUSTICE,H.T.NARENDRA,PRASAD, and,, HON'BLE,MR.,JUSTICE,TYAGARAJA,N.,INAVALLY, ( , ( ( , ORAL/CAV(JUDGMENT( (PER:,HON'BLE,MR.,JUSTICE,H.T.NARENDRA,PRASAD)( , This, appeal, under, Section, 173(1), of, the, Motor, Vehicles,Act,,1988,(hereinafter,referred,to,as,'the,Act',,for, short), has, been, filed, by, the, Insurance, Company, being, aggrieved, by, the, judgment, dated, 09.10.2023, passed, by, the,I,Addl.,Senior,Civil,Judge,&,MACT,,Kalaburagi,in,MVC, No.605/2022., ,

¶2Facts, giving, rise, to, the, filing, of, the, appeal, briefly, stated, are, that, on, 04.04.2022, at, about,6.00, PM,, when, the, deceased, Mohd., Tajuddin, was, proceeding, in, a, APE, Extra, Ld., Pick, Up, vehicle, bearing, No.KA-32/B-9739, along, with, five, sheep, for, sale, from, Kalaburagi, to, Kalagi, Shandy, Bazar, and, when, he, was, near, at, New, Hebbal, village,, on, Kalagi, to, Kalaburagi, main, road, the, driver, of, said,vehicle,started,to,drive,it,with,high,speed,and,in,rash, and, negligent, manner, and, lost, control, over, it,, due, to, which, the, said, vehicle, turned, turtled,, as, a, result, of, the, ( , ( ( aforesaid, accident,, the, deceased, sustained, grievous, injuries, and, succumbed, due, to, the, injuries, on, the, spot, itself.,,

¶3The,claimant,filed,a,petition,under,Section,166, of, the, Act, seeking, compensation., , It, was, pleaded, that, prior,to,the,accident,deceased,was,hale,,healthy,and,was, working,as,a,Sheep,merchant,by,earning,Rs.30,000/-,per, month.,,Because,of,the,death,of,the,deceased,,claimants, have,lost,their,only,earning,member,of,the,family.,,It,was, further, pleaded, that, the, accident, occurred, purely, on, account,of,the,rash,and,negligent,driving,of,the,offending, vehicle,by,its,driver.,,,,

¶4On, service, of, notice,, respondent, No.1, has, remained, absent, and, was, placed, ex-parte., , The, respondent, No.2, appeared, through, its, counsel, and, filed, written, statement, in, which, the, averments, made, in, the, petition,were,denied.,,, ( , ( (

¶5On the basis of the pleadings of the parties, the Claims Tribunal framed the issues and thereafter recorded the evidence. The claimant herself was examined as PW.1 and got exhibited documents namely Ex.P1 to Ex.P12. On behalf of the respondent No.2 has got examined its official as RW.1 and through him got marked Ex.R1 and R2 documents. The Claims Tribunal, by the impugned judgment, inter alia, held that the accident took place on account of rash and negligent driving of the offending vehicle by its driver, as a result of which, the claimant sustained injuries and succumbed to it. The Tribunal further held that the claimant is entitled to a compensation of Rs.30,17,800/- along with interest at the rate of 6% p.a. and directed the respondent No.2-insurance company to deposit the compensation amount along with interest. Being aggrieved, this appeal has been filed.

¶6T15,65.8/50,9;7/356,<;8,:15,I/378./95,C;A4./@,

1.3,8.2350,:15,<;66;F2/B,9;/:5/:2;/3#, $. L5.8/50, 9;7/356, .445.82/B, <;8, :15, 2/378./95, 9;A4./@,1.3,9;/:5/:50,:1.:,:15,;<<5/02/B,C512965,?5.82/B, 85B23:8.:2;/,N;. A*32/B*+$3+,.3,458,:15,RC,?;;H,,2:,1.3, ( , ( ( only, 1, person, seating, capacity., The, deceased, was, traveling, on, the, body, of, the, offending, vehicle., This, is, contrary, to, Motor, Vehicles, Act., Except, driver, they, can't, carry,any,persons.,Even,the,cleaner,or,even,owner,of,the, goods, cannot, be,traveled, in, the, offending, vehicle., Since, the,deceased,was,traveling,in,the,body,of,the,vehicle,,the, insurance,company,is,not,liable,to,pay,the,compensation., The,Tribunal,has,erred,in,directing,the,insurance,company, to, pay, the, compensation, amount, with, liberty, to, recover, from,owner,of,the,offending,vehicle.,,,Hence,,he,sought, for,allowing,the,appeal.,,

¶8Per, contra,, learned, counsel, appearing, for, claimants, has, contended, that, deceased, was, traveling, along,with,his,goods.,,He,is,not,a,unauthorized,person.,,As, per, the, policy,, insurance, company, also, collected, extra, premium., , Considering, all, these, aspects,, Tribunal, has, rightly,passed,a,judgment,and,award.,,Hence,,sought,for, dismissal,of,the,appeal.,, ( , ( (

¶9Heard, the, learned, counsel, for, the, parties., Perused,judgment,and,award,and,original,records.,,,,

¶10The,case,of,the,claimant,is,that,on,04.04.2022, at, about, 6.00, p.m., the, deceased, Mohd., Tajuddin, was, proceeding,in,a,APE,Xtra,Ld,Pickup,,bearing,Reg.No.KA-32/B-9739, along, with, his, five, sheep, for, sale, from, Kalaburagi, to, Kalagi, Shandy, Bazar., , When, the, vehicle, reached,near,Hebbal,village,,on,Kalagi,to,Kalaburagi,main, road,,the,driver,of,the,said,vehicle,drove,the,same,in,rash, and,negligent,manner,with,high,speed,,lost,control,over,it,, due, to, which, said, vehicle, turned, turtled., As, a, result,, deceased,sustained,grievous,injury,and,succumbed,to,the, injury.,Immediately,after,the,accident,,the,complaint,has, been,lodged,as,per,Ex.P2.,It,is,very,clearly,stated,in,the, complaint, that, deceased, was, traveling, along, with, his, sheep.,The,police,has,registered,an,FIR,and,filed,a,charge, sheet,against,the,driver,of,the,pickup,vehicle,and,specific, case,of, PW1,that, deceased, was, traveling,along,with,the, goods.,Considering,all,these,aspects,,Tribunal,is,justified, ( , ( ( to,hold,that,deceased,was,not, traveling, as, unauthorized, occupant.,,

¶11Even, though, as, per, the, RC, book, at, Ex.R2, permit,extract,seating,capacity,of,the,offending,vehicle,is, 1,person,in,the,cabin.,This,Court,considering,that,Rule,100, of, Karnataka, Motor, Vehicles, Rules, 1989, in, Narasamma( and(others(V/s(Magma,(HDI(General(Insurance(Co.( Ltd.(And(others(in(2021(ACJ(734.,Relevant,para,16,to, 23,extracted,below:, "16., The, contention, of, the, learned, counsel, for, the, insurance, company, that, since, the, vehicle, in, question, was, a, goods, vehicle,, no, person, could, have, been,carried,in,the,said,vehicle,and,if,any,such,person, was, carried,, its, liability, would, not, arise,, is, incorrect., Even,according,to,the,package,policy,,carrying,capacity, of, persons, in, the, vehicle, including, the, driver, was, stated,to,be,3., ,

17.,Rule,100,of,the,Rules,provides,for,carriage,of, persons,in,goods,vehicle.,It,reads,as,follows:, , "100., Carriage, of, persons, in, goods, vehicle., (1), Subject,to,the,provi-sions,of,this,rule,,no,person, shall,be,carried,in,a,goods,vehicle:, , Provided, that, the, owner, or, the, hirer, or, a, bona, fide, employee, of, the, owner, or, the, hirer, of, the, vehicle,carried,free,of,charge,or,a,police,officer,in, uniform, travelling, on, duty, may, be, carried, in, a, goods, vehicle,, the, total, number, of, persons, so, carried,-, ( , ( ( ,

(i), in, light, transport, goods, vehicle, having, registered, laden, weight, less, than, 990, kg, not, more,than,one;,

(ii),in,any,other,light,transport,goods,vehicle,not, more,than,three,,and,

(iii),in,any,goods,vehicle,not,more,than,seven:, , Provided, that, the, provisions, of, sub-clauses, (ii), and, (iii), of, the, above, proviso, shall, not, be, applicable, to, the, vehicles, plying, on, inter-State, routes, or, the, vehicles, carrying, goods, from, one, city,to,another,city., ,

(2), Notwithstanding, anything, contained, in, sub-rule,(i),,but,subject,to,the,provisions,of,sub-rules,

(4),and,(5),,a,Regional,Transport,Authority,may,, by, an, order, in, writing,, permit, that, a, larger, number,of,persons,may,be,carried,in,the,vehicle,, on,condition,that,no,goods,at,all,are,carried,free, of,charge,in,connection,with,the,work,for,which, the, vehicle, is, used,, and, that, such, other, conditions, as, may, be, specified, by, the, Regional, Transport,Authority,are,observed,,and,where,the, vehicle, is, required, to, covered, by, a, permit,, the, conditions,of,the,permit., ,

(3), Notwithstanding, anything, contained, in, sub-rules,(1),and,(2),,but,subject,to,the,provisions,of, sub-rules,(4),and,(5),-, ,

(a),for,the,purpose,of,celebrations,in,connection, with, the, Republic, Day, or, Independence, Day, or, any, other, public, congregation,, the, Regional, Transport,Officer;, ,

(b), for, the, purpose, of, enabling, of, co-operative, society,or,class,of,a,operative,societies,owning,or, hiring,a,goods,vehicle,to,carry,its,members,under, its,authority,in,such,goods,vehicle,when,used,for, the, purpose, of, carrying, goods, of, the, society, in, the,ordinary,course,of,its,business,,the,Secretary, of,the,Regional,Transport,Authority;, , ( , ( (

(c),where,it,considers,expedient,in,public,interest, in,respect,of,vehicles,owned,or,hired,by,it,,and,in, respect, of, other, vehicles, on, such, inescapable, grounds, of, urgent, nature, to, be, specified, in, the, order,,the,State,Government,may,,by,general,or, special,order,,permit,goods,vehicle,to,be,used,for, the, carriage, of, persons, for, the, purposes, aforesaid,,and,subject,to,such,conditions,,as,may, be,specified,in,the,order., ,

(4), No, person, shall, be, carried, in, any, goods, vehicle,-, ,

(a),unless,an,area,of,not,less,than,0.40,square, metre,of,the,floor,of,the,vehicle,is,kept,open,for, each,person;,and, ,

(b),in,such,manner-, ,

(i), that, such, person, when, carried, on, goods, is, otherwise,in,danger,of,falling,from,the,vehicle;, ,

(ii), that, any, part, of, his, body,, when, he, is, in, a, sitting, position,, is, at, a, height, exceeding, three, metres,from,the,surface,upon,which,the,vehicle, rests., ,

(5),The,provisions,of,this,rule,shall,not,apply,to, motor,vehicles,registered,under,section,60.,

(6), No, person, other, than, an, attendant, or, attendants,required,by,rule,26,shall,be,carried,on, a,trailer,which,is,a,goods,vehicle.", ,

18.,As,could,be,seen,from,rule,100,of,the,Rules,, as,a,general,rule,,no,person,is,allowed,to,be,carried,in, a, goods, vehicle., However,, a, proviso, has, been, appended,to,the,said,rule,,which,states,that,the,owner, or,the,hirer,or,bona,fide,employee,of,the,owner,or,the, hirer,of,the,vehicle,could,be,carried,free,of,charge,in, the,goods,vehicle,and,the,total,number,of,persons,so, carried,would,be,not,more,than,one,(in,light,transport, goods,vehicle,having,registered,laden,weight,less,than, 990,kg),,not,more,than,three,(in,goods,vehicle).,It,is,, therefore,,clear,that,in,respect,of,goods, vehicle,also,, by,virtue,of,the,proviso,,a,bona,fide,employee,of,the, ( , ( ( owner,or,the,hirer,of,the,vehicle,can,be,carried,free,of, charge,,so,long,as,number,of,people,does,not,exceed, the,limits,specified,in,sub-clauses,(i),to,(iii),of,sub-rule,

(1),of,rule,100., ,

19., The, manner, in, which, the, persons, can, be, carried, in, goods, vehicle, is, however,, not, indicated, in, sub-rule,(1).,However,,sub-rule,(2),starts,with,a,non,, obstante,clause,which,states,that,notwithstanding,what, is, stated, in, Sub-rule, (1)the, Regional, Transport,, Authority, may,, by, an, order, in, writing,, permit, larger, number, of, persons, to, be, carried, in, the, Vehicle,, of, course,, on, which, the, vehicle, is, used., Sub-rule, (2),, therefore,,indicates,that,if,no,goods,are,being,carried,, the, number, of, persons, in, excess, of, one, specified, in, sub-rule, (1), can, be, carried, subject, to, special, permission,from,the,Regional,Transport,Officer., ,

20.,Sub-rule,(3),further,goes,on,to,say,that,for, the, purpose, of, celebrations, in, connection, with, the, Republic,Day,or,Independence,Day,or,any,other,public, congregation,, the, Regional, Transport, Officer, may,, by, general, or, special, order,, permit, goods, vehicle, to, be, used, for, carriage, of, persons, for, the, purposes, mentioned,in,sub-clauses,(a),to,(c),of,sub-rule,(3)., ,

21., Sub-rule, (4), thereafter, specifies, the, limitations,in,respect,of,carriage,of,persons.,It,states, that, no, person, shall, be, carried,in, any, goods, vehicle,, unless,an,area,of,not,less,than,0.40,square,metre,of, the, floor, of, the, vehicle, is, kept, open, for, each, person, and,there,is,no,danger,of,falling,down,from,the,vehicle., ,

22.,A,complete,reading,of,rule,100,of,the,Rules, indicates, that, notwithstanding, the, general, dictum, of, not,allowing,carriage,of,persons,in,a,goods,vehicle,,the, law,does,permit,a,number,of,people,to,be,carried,in,a, goods, vehicle., Sub-rules, (2), to, (4), indicate, that, the, persons,so,carried,can,actually,be,carried,in,the,goods, vehicle.,A,goods,vehicle,by,its,very,definition,does,not, have, permit, of, carrying, passengers., This, would, obviously,mean,that,the,persons,to,be,carried,would,be, in,the,area,where,the,goods,are,to,be,stored.,In,other, words,, the, rule, itself, provides, for, carriage, of, passengers, in, the, area, reserved, for, carrying, goods,, ( , ( ( under, special, conditions,, depending, on, the, weight, of, the,vehicle,and,as,a,matter,of,right,,the,owner,or,the, hirer, or, the, bona, fide, employee, of, the, owner, or, the, hirer,can,travel,in,a,goods,vehicle.,It,,therefore,,follows, that,if,an,employee,of,the,owner,of,the,vehicle,is,being, carried,in,a,goods,vehicle,,it,cannot,be,illegal,and,such, a, person, cannot, be, construed, as, a, gratuitous, passenger., ,

23., Since, the, rule, itself, permits, carriage, of, persons,in, the, vehicle,,it,is,not, material,whether,the, person,travels,within,the,cabin,or,outside,the,cabin.,So, long, as, number, of, people, travelling, in, the, goods, vehicle, is, specified, under, rule, 100, of, the, Rules,, the, goods,vehicle,is,permitted,to,carry,passengers., ,,

12., In,view,of,the,above,,in,the,case,in,hand,also,, the, offending, vehicle, was, covered, with, valid, insurance, policy.,They,have,collected,extra,premium.,Considering,all, these,aspects,,Tribunal,is,justified,in,passing,the,judgment, and,award.,There,is,no,error,or,illegalities,order,passed,by, the,Tribunal.,Accordingly,,the,appeal,is,dismissed.,, , , , Sd/-( (H.T.NARENDRA(PRASAD)( JUDGE( ( ( Sd/-( (TYAGARAJA(N.(INAVALLY)( JUDGE( SMP, List,No.:,1,Sl,No.:,20, CT:SB,