NATIONAL ASSURANCE CO LTD Vs. DUWAS RAM YADAV

JUDGEMENT

(1.) HEARD on admission. VIIIth Additional Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal, Bilaspur, vide award dated 27-1-2005, in Claim Case No. 84/2004, awarded compensation of Rs. 8,000/- in favour of the claimant Ram Prasad against the applicant National Insurance Company Limited and others, and the said award has been challenged by the applicant in this revision. The applicant contended that, vide impugned award, the Claims Tribunal allowed compensation less than Rs. 10,000/- and appeal under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 is barred, therefore, they have preferred this revision under Section 115 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 against the award.

(2.) THE relative part of Section 115(1) of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 reads as below :

(3.) BARE reading of both the above provisions unveils that, the High Court can exercise revisional jurisdiction under Section 115 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 only when the order under challenge has been passed by Civil Court or Court of Small Causes. Claims Tribunals have been constituted by the State Government exercising powers conferred on them under Section 165 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, Chapter XII of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 also describes the procedure to be followed by the Claims Tribunals and also provides the provisions for appeal against the award passed by Claims Tribunals. Neither the Claims Tribunals have been declared Civil Courts under any of the provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 nor the said Act empowers the High Court to exercise jurisdiction under Section 115 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 against the award passed by any of the Motor Accidents Claims Tribunals. Even the State Government, empowered to make rules, although have framed rules, did not make Section 115 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 applicable to any award passed by a Claims Tribunal, and only provisions of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, applicable to Motor Accidents Claims Tribunals, have been described in Rule 240 of the M.P. Motor Vehicles Rules, 1994. Rule 240 of the said Rules reads as below :