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To substantiate the contention appellant insurance company examined three witnesses. RW-2 was Superintendent in the office of the SDM, Paonta. He said that no such licence was issued from that office to a person called Liaqat Ali. He further said that no intimation whatsoever was received by the SDM, Paonta, that the licensing authority of Rohru (SDM) had renewed the licence No.1874- P/90. But RW-3 a clerk in the office of the SDM, Rohru has stated that the licence bearing No.1874-P/90 which stood in the name of Liaqat Ali was renewed by the SDM, Rohru on 17.4.1993, for a period of three years with effect from the date of its expiry. One Anil Chawla, legal officer of the appellant insurance company at Shimla, was examined as RW-4 and he said that on enquiry it was found that SDM, Paonta had not issued any driving licence to Liaqat Ali and hence the document produced by the 8th respondent as his driving licence is a forged document.

From the perusal of the record we have noticed that licence No.1874-P/90 was issued by Registering and Licensing Authority, Paonta Sahib, District Sirmaur, which was valid from 20.3.1990 to 19.3.1993 and the said licence has been marked as X by the Tribunal below. Thereafter, the Licensing Authority, Rohru, District Shimla, renewed the licence of the respondent-driver from 17.4.1993 to 16.4.1996. From the entire evidence on record we find that at the time of the accident i.e. on 1.3.1993 respondent-