Madhuben Wd/O Decd. Natubhai ... vs Vasudev Parshottamdas Desai & 6 on 18 February, 2014
16. Apart from the fact that the contents of the insurance
policy have not been proved before this court, more
significantly, as noticed earlier, the insurance policy reveals
that the insured is one Shri Purshottamdas Gudumal Chaturani.
A perusal of the cause title of the impugned award shows that
said Shri Purshottamdas Gudumal Chaturani had not been
impleaded as a party in the claim petition filed before the
Tribunal. Thus, the owner of the offending truck was not
impleaded as a party before the Tribunal and for the first time,
has been impleaded as respondent No.7 in the present appeal.
The insured, therefore, was not a party before the Tribunal.
The question, therefore, arises for consideration as to whether
any award could have been passed by the Tribunal against the
Insurance Company in the absence of the insured. The said
issue is no longer res integra, inasmuch as, a Division Bench of
this court in the case of the Oriental Fire & General
Insurance Insurance Company v. Aminbhai Pirmohomad
Master (supra), wherein the grievance raised by the Insurance
Company as the insurer of the motorcycle was that the owner
of the motorcycle was not made a party to the petition, and
therefore, no award could have been passed against the
Insurance Company. The court held that the Insurance
Company had insured the owner of the motorcycle. By insuring
the owner of the motorcycle, the Insurance Company had
agreed to indemnify whatever compensation he might have to
pay for the injuries caused by the vehicle in question. The
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C/FA/2381/2002 JUDGMENT
question of the Insurance Company paying the amount of
compensation would arise only if and when there was some
award passed against the owner of the vehicle. When the
owner of the vehicle is not made a party, the question of
passing any award against the Insurance Company does not
arise. No award could have been passed and the Tribunal had
even no jurisdiction to pass such an award against the
Insurance Company in the absence of the owner.