ICICI LOMBARD GENERAL INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED v. SMT. RUKHMANI NAYAK
CR/97/2025 · 2025-04-17
Shri Sanjay Kumar Jaiswal
body2025
DailyLaw.ai
[ 2025 DAILYLAW 18325 (CHH) · dailylaw.ai ]
DailyLaw.ai
[ 2025 DAILYLAW 18325 (CHH) · dailylaw.ai ]
Judgment text
Extracted from the PDF above. The PDF is authoritative.
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2025:CGHC:17620
NAFR HIGH COURT OF CHHATTISGARH AT BILASPUR CR No. 97 of 2025 ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Limited Registered Office At ICICI Lombard House, 414, Veer Savarkar Marg, Near Siddhi Vinayak Temple, Prabhadevi, Mumbai Maharashtra Through Legal Manager - Deepak Soni, 33 Years, S/o Late M.L. Soni, ICICI Lombard General Insurance Co. Ltd., 5th Floor, Sky Park, In Front Of Bhatiya Hospital, Civil Lines, Raipur Chhattisgarh (Insurer)
... Applicant versus
1. Smt. Rukhmani Nayak W/o Radhelal Nayak Aged About 40 Years R/o Village Amodi, Police Station Beltukri, District Nuapada (Orissa), Present Address Ashok Nagar, Police Station - Gudhiyari, District Raipur Chhattisgarh (Claimant)
2. Somnath Nayak S/o Late Radhelal Nayak Aged About 12 Years Minor Represented By Guardian Mother Rukhmani Nayak Age 40 Years W/o Late Radhelal Nayak, R/o Village Amodi, Police Station Beltukri, District Nuapada (Orissa), Present Address Ashok Nagar, Police Station - Gudhiyari, District Raipur Chhattisgarh (Claimant)
3. Sumit Nayak S/o Late Radhelal Nayak Aged About 10 Years Minor Represented By Guardian Mother Rukhmani Nayak Age 40 Years, W/o Late Radhelal Nayak, R/o Village Amodi, Police Station Beltukri, District Nuapada (Orissa), Present Address Ashok Nagar, Police Station - Gudhiyari, District Raipur Chhattisgarh (Claimant) Digitally signed by BHOLA NATH KHATAI Date: 2025.04.17 16:44:16 +0530
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4. Tamanna Road Career Proprietor Atul Bagga, R/o At And PS Bagbahara, District - Mahasamund Chhattisgarh (Driver-Owner)
... Respondent(s) For Applicant : Mr. Raja Sharma, Advocate For Respondent(s) : None Hon'ble Shri Justice
Sanjay Kumar Jaiswal
Order On Board 17 .04.2025
1. This Revision has been preferred challenging the order dated 14.01.2025 passed by 4th Additional Motor Accident Claims Tribunal, Raipur (C.G.) in Claim Case No.611/2023, whereby, the application preferred by the applicant/Insurance Company under
Order 7 Rule 11 of the CPC with regard to delay, has been dismissed.
2. In this case, a claim application was filed before the Tribunal by the respondents 1 to 3 claiming compensation. The said application was filed beyond the period of six months. Therefore, the applicant/Insurance Company filed an application under Order 7 Rule 11 of CPC which was rejected by the Tribunal vide impugned
order dated 14.01.2025 against which the present revision has been filed.
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Learned counsel for the applicant/insurance company submits that as per Section 166 (3) of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, there is a limitation of six months for preferring a claim application and there is no provision for condonation of delay or extension of time for filing the Claim application. However, the Tribunal has proceeded with the matter ignoring the delay caused in filing the claim application, therefore, the claim application itself is not maintainable.
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Learned counsel further submits that the matter is pending adjudication in the matter of Cholamandalam MS General Insurance Company Limited vs. Shreelakshmi T & Others in Petition(s) in Special Leave to Appeal (C) No(s).9152/2023, wherein the Hon'ble Supreme Court has granted stay in favour of the Insurance Company.
5. It is further submitted that the High Court of Kerala has also taken a view in the matter of Akshay Raj vs. Ministry of Law and Legislative Department, 2023 LiveLaw (Ker) 50 that the matter is condonable. However, the said order has also been challenged before the Supreme Court in SLP (Civil) Diary No.23834/2023 which is pending consideration.
6. In the matter of Malrawan vs. Praveen Travels reported in 2023 SCC Online Madras 5467, the Madras High Court has taken a view that in view of the provision contained under Section 159 of the Motor Vehicles Act, once it is incumbent upon the Police to forward the First Accident Report (FAR) and Detailed Accident Report (DAR) to the Claims Tribunal, the said report can also be treated to be a Claim Petition in terms of Section 166 (4) of the Motor Vehicles Act. Therefore, mere pendency of matters before the Supreme Court concerning applicability of the Limitation Act would not be a sufficient ground to interfere in the matter.
7. In the matter of Akshay Raj (supra), the Kerala High Court has also considered the effect of Annexure XIII to Central Motor Vehicles Rules as also the aspect of statutory liability to submit the DAR.
8. Since the issue regarding delay in filing the Claim application under Section 166 (3) of the Motor Vehicles Act and the mandatory requirement of submission of DAR before the Claims Tribunal by the Police has been raised before the Supreme Court which is pending adjudication, the present Revision is disposed of directing
4 the Claims Tribunal not to pass final award in the Claim application pending before it till the aforesaid issues are decided conclusively by the Supreme Court.
9. The Tribunal is also directed to reconsider the claim application and pass a fresh order after adjudication of the issue which is pending before the Hon’ble Supreme Court. Sd/-
(Sanjay Kumar Jaiswal) Judge Khatai