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Indore (Madhya Pradesh): The district consumer court has ruled that an insurance company is not liable to pay compensation to a person if he is travelling in a goods vehicle as a passenger and meets with an accident.
Applicant Arjun Mewade boarded a goods vehicle on May 7, 2011, and the vehicle collided with a tree due to rash driving. Arjun suffered serious injuries on his hands and legs and hence claimed insurance as an accident victim.
However, the private insurance company refused to pay saying that by travelling in a goods vehicle, Mewade had violated the terms of the insurance policy. Vehicles carrying goods are not authorised to carry passengers.
However, Mewade pressed his claim by saying that he worked as a cleaner of the vehicle, but an inquiry ordered by the court brought out the truth – that he was travelling in the goods vehicle as a passenger.
Motor Accident Claims Tribunal presiding officer BP Sharma accepted the insurance company’s point and ordered that pickup owner Bhavarlal Prajapati and driver Dinesh Verma are liable to pay compensation for violating the conditions of the insurance company.
Advocate for the insurance company Rajesh Chourasia said, “It is high time for people to realise that travelling on a goods vehicle as passengers is not legal and they won’t get money as compensation in case of an accident. By taking passengers, the driver and owner also violated the conditions of the insurance policy.”
