दुर्घटना दिनांक से 12 प्रतिशत ब्याज सुर्पीम कोट MACT

दुर्घटना दिनांक से 12 प्रतिशत ब्याज सुर्पीम कोट

The appellants shall be entitled to interest at the rate of 12% from the date of the accident.

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IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA

CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION

CIVIL APPEAL NO. 8 OF 2014

[Arising out of Special Leave Petition (Civil)No.8569 of 2013]

SABERABIBI YAKUBBHAI SHAIKH & ORS. ...APPELLANTS

VERSUS

NATIONAL INSURANCE CO. LTD.& ORS. ...RESPONDENTS

ORDER(02/01/2014)

1. Delay condoned.

2. Leave granted.

3. The appellants are the wife and the relatives

of deceased driver who died in a road accident. The

deceased driver was driving a truck bearing No. GJ-

17-T-8607, which was owned by Yunusbhai Gulambhai

Shaikh, respondent No.2 herein. The deceased was

36 years of age at the time of the accident. On

20th November, 1996, the appellants raised a claim

of compensation for a sum of Rs.2,15,280/- and 12%

interest therein from the date of accident by

filing a claim application before the Workmen

Compensation Commissioner/Labour Court. After

passage of more than 16 years, the wife and

children of the deceased driver had still not

received any compensation.

...2/-

Page 2

4. The appellants filed a compensation

application before the Workmen Compensation

Commissioner/Labour Court on 20th November, 1996.

The appellants made a claim of Rs.2,15,280/- and

also penalty to the tune of 50% of the compensation

i.e. a sum of Rs.1,07,640/-, thus, making the grand

total of Rs.3,22,920/-. Respondent No.1- the

Insurance Company, contested the compensation

application. On 23th December, 2010, the learned

Commissioner awarded compensation on account of

death in the sum of Rs.2,13,570/- with 12% interest

from the date of accident. The learned Commissioner

also awarded Rs.1,06,785/- as penalty.

5. Aggrieved and dissatisfied with the aforesaid

judgment and award passed by the learned

Commissioner, the Insurance Company filed First

Appeal before the High Court.

6. By judgment and order, dated 24th January,

2012, the High Court has partly allowed the First

Appeal. The High Court directed the respondent

No.1 - Insurance Company to pay interest on the

amount of compensation from the date of

...3/-

Page 3

adjudication of claim application i.e. 23th

December, 2010 and not from one month after from

the date of accident i.e. 21st August, 1996. A

further direction was issued that the excess amount

towards interest, if any, deposited by the

respondent No.1 – Insurance Company be refunded to

it. The judgment and order of the Commissioner for

Workmen Compensation was modified to that extent.

7. In coming to the aforesaid conclusion, the

High Court relied upon the judgment of this Court

reported in Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport

Corporation now Uttarakhand Transport Corporation

versus Satnam Singh, (2011) 14 SCC 758, wherein it

has been held that the interest was payable under

the Workmen Compensation Act from the date of the

Award and not from the date of accident.

8. Aggrieved by the aforesaid judgment of the Hgh

Court, the appellants have filed the present

appeal.

...4/-

Page 4

9. Learned counsel for the appellants has

submitted that the aforesaid judgment of the High

Court is contrary to the law laid down by this

Court in the case of Oriental Insurance Company

Limited versus Siby George and others [(2012) 12

SCC 540].

10. We have perused the aforesaid judgment. We

are of the considered opinion that the aforesaid

judgment relied upon by the learned counsel for the

appellants is fully applicable to the facts and

circumstances of this case. This Court considered

the earlier judgment relied upon by the High Court

and observed that the judgments in the case of

National Insurance Co. Ltd. v. Mubasir Ahmed

[(2007) 2 SCC 349] and Oriental Insurance Co. Ltd.

v. Mohd. Nasir [(2009) 6 SCC 280] were per

incuriam having been rendered without considering

the earlier decision in Pratap Narain Singh Deo

v. Srinivas Sabata [(1976) 1 SCC 289]. In the

aforesaid judgment, upon consideration of the

entire matter, a four-judge Bench of this Court had

held that the compensation has to be paid from the

date of the accident.

...5/-

Page 5

11. Following the aforesaid judgments, this Court

in Oriental Insurance Company Limited versus Siby

George and others (supra) reiterated the legal

position and held as follows:

“11. The Court then referred to a Full

Bench decision of the Kerala High Court

in United India Insurance Co. Ltd. v.

Alavi and approved it insofar as it

followed the decision in Pratap Narain

Singh Deo.

12. The decision in Pratap Narain

Singh Deo was by a four-judge Bench and

in Valsala K. by a three-judge Bench of

this Court. Both the decisions were,

thus, fully binding on the Court in

Mubasir Ahmed and Mohd. Nasir, each of

which was heard by two Judges. But the

earlier decisions in Pratap Narain

Singh Deo and Valsala K. were not

brought to the notice of the Court in

the two later decisions in Mubasir Ahmed

and Mohd. Nasir.

13. In the light of the decisions in

Pratap Narain Singh Deo and Valsala K.,

it is not open to contend that the

payment of compensation would fall due

only after the Commissioner's order or

with reference to the date on which the

claim application is made. The

...6/-

Page 6

decisions in Mubasir Ahmed and Mohd.

Nasir insofar as they took a contrary

view to the earlier decisions in Pratap

Narain Singh Deo and Valsala K. do not

express the correct view and do not make

binding precedents.”

12. In view of the aforesaid settled proposition

of law, the appeal is allowed and the judgment and

order of the High Court is set aside. The

appellants shall be entitled to interest at the

rate of 12% from the date of the accident.

13. No cost.

....................,J.

(SURINDER SINGH NIJJAR)

...............................,J.

(FAKKIR MOHAMED IBRAHIM KALIFULLA)

NEW DELHI

JANUARY 02, 2014