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Reliance General Insurance Company Limited v. Swati Sharma

Special Leave Petition (Civil) · 2025 INSC 487Decided 16 Apr 2025
SLP(C) No.-024959 - 2019
Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia · Justice K. Vinod Chandran

Background

A motorcyclist died after his bike collided with a truck. The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal found the deceased partly at fault and split liability 50-50 between him and the truck's insurer. On appeal by both the claimants (the deceased's wife and mother) and the insurer, the High Court found the truck driver solely negligent and enhanced the compensation, prompting the insurance company to challenge that finding before the Supreme Court.

Decision Breakdown

The Court examined the conflicting testimony of the truck driver, who denied any collision occurred at all, and the investigating police officer, whose court testimony (blaming both drivers) directly contradicted his own charge-sheet, which had blamed only the truck driver. An independent eyewitness, riding alongside the deceased, credibly testified that the truck came from the wrong side and hit the motorcycle, after which the truck driver fled the scene. Finding the truck driver's and investigating officer's testimony unreliable and self-contradictory, the Supreme Court upheld the High Court's finding that the truck driver was solely responsible, dismissed the insurer's petition, and directed prompt payment of the enhanced compensation with interest.

Lesson Learnt

Courts will look past interested or contradictory testimony from a vehicle's own driver or an investigating officer whose court statements conflict with the official charge-sheet, and will rely instead on credible independent eyewitness accounts to determine fault in accident claims.

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

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