SC upholds ruling denying Rs 80 lakh to family of man who died in self-caused accident
Supreme Court (PTI)
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has ruled that insurance companies are not liable to pay compensation to the families of individuals who die as a result of their own rash and reckless driving.
A two-judge bench, comprising Justices P.S. Narasimha and R. Mahadevan, refused to grant the ₹80 lakh compensation sought by the wife, son and parents of a man who died while driving a car negligently.
The bench declined to disturb the Karnataka High Court’s November 23 order, which had dismissed the heirs’ plea for compensation. “We are not inclined to interfere with the impugned judgment,” the Supreme Court held, and dismissed the Special Leave Petition.
On June 18, 2014, N.S. Ravisha was driving from Mallasandra village to Arasikere town when the accident occurred. His father, sister and her children were also in the car. Record evidence showed that Ravisha lost control of the vehicle after driving negligently and violating traffic rules; the car overturned, and he sustained fatal injuries.
The High Court had observed that because the accident resulted from the deceased’s own rash driving, making him a “self tort-feasor”, his legal heirs could not claim compensation: “Otherwise, it would allow a person who committed a breach to be compensated for his own wrongs.”
The High Court had observed that because the accident resulted from the deceased’s own rash driving, making him a “self tort-feasor”, his legal heirs could not claim compensation: “Otherwise, it would allow a person who committed a breach to be compensated for his own wrongs.”
( Source : Asian Age )
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