The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) in Delhi has awarded an aggregate compensation exceeding Rs 14.49 lakh to the family members of a commercial vehicle driver who lost his life in a severe road accident in Rajasthan in 2018. Presiding Officer Vijay Kumar Jha held that the fatal crash was solely caused by the reckless and high-speed operation of a heavy trailer. In a pivotal legal determination, the tribunal relieved the implicated insurance company of all financial indemnity after uncovering that the vehicle operated under a completely fabricated insurance policy. Consequently, the tribunal placed the entire obligation of paying the compensation jointly and severally upon the offending trailer's driver and its registered owner.
Midnight Collision Near Saraswati College on the Jaipur-Delhi Highway
The fatal incident took place on October 20, 2018, while the victim, Puran Mal, was driving an Eicher canter truck loaded with commercial consignment from Jaipur toward Delhi. At around 2:00 am, as the canter approached Saraswati College in the vicinity of Manoharpur Pulia, it collided with a speeding trailer. The violent impact inflicted catastrophic bodily injuries on Puran Mal, leading to his instantaneous death at the scene. Following the tragedy, the surviving family members filed a claim petition seeking compensation before the claims tribunal in Delhi.
Tribunal Holds Trailer Driver Exclusively Culpable for Rash Driving
In a formal judgment delivered on October 28, the tribunal accepted the contention of the claimants that Puran Mal lost his life due to the rash and negligent handling of the trailer. Presiding Officer Vijay Kumar Jha noted that the evidence and factual material presented on record established clear liability on the part of the trailer driver. The tribunal explicitly dismissed the defense raised by the insurance firm, which attempted to allege contributory negligence on the part of the deceased canter driver, observing that the insurer failed to substantiate its claims with credible material.
Insurance Provider Fails to Substantiate Claims of Contributory Fault
Scrutinizing the record, the tribunal observed that the insurance firm failed to produce any technical or objective evidence establishing the traveling speeds of the respective vehicles, the distance maintained between them, or the physical width of the highway at the site of the collision. Furthermore, no documentation was tendered regarding the mechanical status of the trailer's rear illumination or brake signaling lights at the time of the midnight impact. The tribunal also noted that the trailer driver failed to enter the witness box to provide testimony or face cross-examination, prompting the court to draw an adverse inference against him while confirming that zero negligence was attributable to the deceased motorist.
Fraudulent Insurance Paperwork Shifts Entire Financial Obligation to Vehicle Owner
A critical turning point in the proceedings came when the insurance documentation submitted on behalf of the offending trailer was verified and revealed to be entirely fake and forged. The registered owner of the trailer could not produce an original cover note, official premium payment receipts, or any corresponding records from a certified carrier demonstrating that a legitimate insurance contract was operative on the accident date. Because no valid contract of insurance existed, the tribunal discharged the insurer from any statutory duty to indemnify the loss or satisfy the award. The tribunal computed the base compensation for Puran Mal's dependents at Rs 9.82 lakh, augmented by simple interest at 6 percent per annum, which elevates the total recovery amount to more than Rs 14.49 lakh. The court decreed that this entire sum must be discharged jointly and severally by the trailer driver and its registered owner.
