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O.S. Kannan vs A. Alima and Anr.

Diary No. · 2022 INSC 175Decided 10 Feb 2022
Diary No. 25600 of 2021

Background

A Motor Accident Claims Tribunal at Madurai had awarded compensation of Rs. 22,35,870/- to the claimant, which was upheld by the High Court. The matter reached the Supreme Court, which itself enhanced the compensation to Rs. 40 lakhs. Dissatisfied even with this enhanced amount, the claimant (petitioner here) filed a Review Petition seeking a further increase.

Decision Breakdown

The Court condoned the delay in filing the review petition but, after examining its contents, found no "error apparent on the face of the record" that would justify reopening its earlier decision. Since a review is not an opportunity to re-argue a case merely because a party wants more, and no manifest error was shown, the Court declined to interfere further with the compensation amount it had already fixed.

Lesson Learnt

A review petition is not a second appeal. Courts will only reconsider a final order if there is a glaring, apparent error, not simply because a party remains unsatisfied with the outcome, even in compensation matters.

Official source (sci.gov.in)View Judgment (PDF)

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