In a significant ruling on motor accident compensation cases, the Kerala High Court has clarified that a driver’s guilty plea in a criminal case cannot automatically fix negligence in a claim before the Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal.

Read also:- Madras High Court Judge Recuses in CBI Case After ₹50 Lakh Bribery Allegation Letter Sent to Centre

In a significant ruling on motor accident compensation cases, the Kerala High Court has clarified that a driver’s guilty plea in a criminal case cannot automatically fix negligence in a claim before the Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal.

Read also:- Madras High Court Judge Recuses in CBI Case After ₹50 Lakh Bribery Allegation Letter Sent to Centre

At the Srinagar wing of the Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court, a bench comprising Justice Sanjeev Kumar and Justice Sanjay Parihar on Thursday dismissed an appeal filed by National Insurance Company Limited. The insurer was seeking to overturn a compensation award granted to a family whose home was damaged during the devastating 2014 floods.

The case originates from a policy taken by late Shad Mohd Bashir, whose residential house at Sarai Payeen, Amira Kadal, Srinagar, had been insured since 2009. Though the policy was renewed annually, the company later claimed that it excluded flood and similar storm-related risks - referred to in technical jargon as “STFI” (Storm, Tempest, Flood, Inundation).