K ANNADURAI Vs. CHIEF ENGINEER AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

JUDGEMENT

(1.) HEARD the learned counsel appearing for the petitioner and the learned additional Government Pleader for the respondents.

(2.) THE brief facts of the case are as follows: the petitioner is a Jeep Driver in the Agricultural Engineering Department. On 23. 5. 1994, while he was on duty in the office of the Executive Engineer (Agricultural Engineering), Tiruchirapalli, he had taken a vehicle, with registration No. TDY 1895, to the work shop, for attending to some minor repairs. On his way to the workshop, he had parked the vehicle in front of a Hotel, at ariyalur, to have light refreshment. When he came out of the Hotel, he found that the vehicle was missing. He was told that a person, by name Arjunan, had taken the vehicle, unauthorisedly and had caused an accident. Due to the accident, one Saraswathi, had suffered serious injuries. Therefore, a claim petition had been made, in M. A. C. T. O. P. No. 315 of 1995, on the file of the Motor accidents Claims Tribunal, Ariyalur, claiming compensation of Rs. 1,00,000/- from the Government.

(3.) THE Government of Tamil Nadu represented by the District Collector, tiruchirapalli, and the Executive Engineer (Agricultural Engineering), tiruchirapalli, had been cited as the respondents in the Motor Accident Claims case.