High Court Karnataka High Court

Smt Shamina vs The Oriental Insurance Co Ltd on 17 March, 2009

Karnataka High Court
Smt Shamina vs The Oriental Insurance Co Ltd on 17 March, 2009
Author: C.R.Kumaraswamy
IN THE HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA AT BAN_C§'A'LFOR'E.__V'I'  _

DATED THIS THE 17"" DAY OF MARcF:~~2o'o9:."~t~:i:  _:'  

BEFORE 
THE HOi\:'BLE MR.JuSTIt:t=.__<:.R.'KII'NIARA5i)vAi9i,f of; it
MISCELLANEOUS FIRST Aui5P.i§Ai._V NOi.7'3f66/2o08 (wc)

BETWEEN:

1. Smt. ShvamVin'a.l" 
w/o iate Shabhir,
Age: 29.V_ye~ars.o " 

2. Shabaz S/O slate  44'
Aged about i'1_ye~a.r:3.  

   late Sha bb'i'r;V
 Aged_ about -8_'years.

 4. iabiiez )u('/o'_"_£»ate;;'Stiabbir,

Aged' abou.t_6;, yea rs.

_..tIt'.j';-'5."-Neiu @' Saiamma

" «D/'oi late Shabbir,

  g"'--Ag.edH"about 4 years.

  Ajrnath S/0 Late Shabir,
 "Aged about 3 years.

A Appeliants 2 to 6 are minors and
are represented by their mother
as natural guardian, the I" appellant.

1/



7. Jahinabi

W/o Mother Khan,

Aged about 61 years,

Door i\EO.1026, Arundathinagar,   
Bangalore North taluk, : '
Bangalore Rural district.

All are resident of Door No.1002_6"',"-... . V . -
Arunciathinagar, Bangalore North_t'aluk,  " -- 
Bangalore Rural district.__  ' .A_PP,ELLANTS

(By Sri V.B. Siddaramaiah,"Adv.   it 0

AND:

1. The Oriental" zfgisurairgtte :C~ornpan.j}"Li'§9raited,
Branch '--Qffi_ce, V D';n;a.raka4«y'g,....N:-l -Road,

Chennai?600034._"WV  

Represented"by"its_Branch'"Manager,
Brancgh office, V'iv.el<ananda Road,

  101  _____ 
 Rep, _by_its. Branch Manager.

 _ 2. Sri 

S/o ._Dasth.ag"i--r Khan,

V . Aged'"about"32 years,

RR/o 15"'Ma-in Road, 2"" Cross,

.ix\Eew..fiC§urappanna Palya,
 '=Ba.nga_'.ore.  RESPONDENTS

. —-t'(‘:¥§’–1’_£served; Notice to R-2 dispensed with)

This MFA is filed under Section 30(1) of the W.C. Act

against the Judgement dated 19.5.2007 passed in

KAT/KPK/CR/40/2007 on the fife of the Labour Officer and
3/

3

Commissioner for Workmen’s Compensation, Tuml_<_Jur,':'d4i'stiiict,

Tumkur partly allowing the claim petition for corr1'p'ensa'tiso'i:iandr4_

seeking enhancement of compensation," _

This MFA coming up for Admis.sio.fn~t'his=.d'a3r,
delivered the foilowing. ' " " 'C "

supefiewl ‘

This Miscellaneous Fi’rstAp’p,ea,l’ jis4″fiVi,¢itlC’u..nder Section 30(1)

of WorkmelvnisvCornpe’ni:sati;jn,V,:Act a.<jai'nvst the judgment dated 19-
5~2oo7 passedin Kgtfigek/cRg4o/2007 ontheifle ofthe Labour

Officer and Con'rm_i'ssio.ner'v.forWorkmen's Compensation, Tumkur

;_'j"li5i'strict':,..":'Tumkur p'a"rt'i'yV allowing the claim petition for

compenlsatioinh and_ seeking enhancement of compensation.

this matter was listed for admission, the

U"iearned.,_counse| for the appellant submitted that the matter may

be healrd on merits and the same may be disposed of. Notice

'vira"S'"issued to respondent No.1. In spite of service of notice,

there is no representation on behalf of respondent No.1. Notice

to respondent No.2 is dispensed vide order dtd.31–1–2009. The
fix'

materiai piaced before this Court is sufficient to s:4r:~f:"the

matter at this stage.

3. The claimant No.1 in the C’our1′:_”ib’eIoCw ‘isrthie:.V’iw.ifevi_:of

deceased Shabbir, who was a d’;-iii/”er in a’~i:ernpo”..be’ajri~ng §;\Eo.KF~.»–.C’

05 AA -7176. The tempo__met wpit.h:’a_n”Vaccident..on_§.9–8–20O5.
Consequentiy, Shabbir die’d.iA’T..H.e_ Rs.5,000/~ per
month and daily bata of RsA.’1UG/f. about 31 years.

4. In the Co*u.rt._v:be»|ow;’-therespondent No.1 and 2 have

filed objections staté*ment.»- respondent No.1 has stated in

his objpegctiyon statienfient that Shabbir was drawing a saiary of

inA’Rs.%i,:O€jtJ;’–_V’sa:nd..daily bata of Rs.100/–.

,5’L’C.-T[he”2″”T’?.._re~sp’ondent Insurance Company has stated in the

Vo.bjectio’n stvaternent that the tempo 107 bearing Reg.i\Eo.KA~O5

176 was insured with it.

€..Tn’e sum and substance of the finding of the Labour Officer

C -a:nd’Commissioner for Workmen’s Compensation is as under:

9/,

U’?

“The wife of the deceased was examined”‘andeisihejég

has stated in her evidence that decease.d.-wjasVearniriggd’

Rs.5,000/- per month, but sheitnhas.tnot’–asprodv¢’eiq.,,_§ihave7

document. Usuaily, heavy?motorivehicie,dr2’ver get a

saiary of Rs.4,000/- Der monthit’Shabhir a driver of
heavy motor vehiclettaiind intcovme was
assessed at Rs.4,OOO/vie…”.i§v”t:hie”V’Labour Officer
and i\1\i’or|_<.j_rrien';s'"Compensation and
50% the -'for awarding compensation
amount; the deceased was 31 years,
thejgfiactor 'V oi'– was taken and awarded a
or Rs.4,11,900/- (Rs.2,000 x 205.95). The
iearnevdvi:'?;vomVn1'i'ssioner for Workmen's Compensation has

aiso awarded interest at 12% per annum from one month

t from the date of adjudication".

-‘ Being aggrieved by the Judgment of the Court beiow,

“the””iciaimants have preferred this appeal seeking for

enhancement of compensation.

U

8. The substantiai questions of law that

this appeai are:

i) Whether the Commissioner
justified in holding that the4’res’p_ondentiyis”iiahvle”‘ it
to pay interest from ‘o.:n’e.yymonth.afte’ij
ofthe award Le. 19.s.2o;e7 ”

ii) Whether the A—-._._”C~o_m-mis_si,oner_i”for Workmen
justified in comVi’nc_7i_tol’f’_t:he that the

appellant: was iearjnlirig .on~!yj..RVs’.4.«O’O0 P.M. even

he§:,3e.st’alaiished–~vin.his evidence that he
was ea’rnin:g”il?§’s;S”,’@OO/-‘~ as salary and Rs.100/-

per day as” 2]

9._§gIt is the”‘content}.on of the learned Counsel for the

.A’a_ppeii.avlnts_¥A iAti1at*-..Vthe daily bata was not taken into

con’side.ration”_’v_vforfjawarding the compensation. In this case,

the em”ployVe.r”h’as not been examined. The claimant No.1

her evidence that deceased was earning Rs.5,000/-

.’pyer”‘v–mo’nth, whereas the employer states in his objection

T ”’–statement that he was paying saiary of Rs.-4,000/~ per month.

mihere is no positive evidence forthcoming that employer was

paying daily bata of Rs.100/-. Even he has not adduced any

0/

: 7

evidence to that effect. The learned Commissionergfor

Workmen’s Compensation has carefully examinedW_t”h,e”orallyV

and documentary evidence and assessed the inco__mejofi’the.’_fi V’

deceased at Rs.4,000/– per month. fCAon’si«rl_e’ring«

the deceased as 31 years and applyinotheAifactoifiofr.2’0S*..49’E.;”~

the learned Commissioner for Wo’rl.<Tm..en'sh Comepenséativon has
awarded a compensation' Rs;'4,'1V..i;,§"00/~. 'Tne"'vlearned

Commissioner for workmen'-is' C0ompensafi.on'_'_.has taken a

factor of 2'o5.95 Aiynlsvtefayd<of"20':'3._9*8rand there is a difference of

0.03. However there 348 days in preferring the

.appeal.,,._§'¢'"l'al<:ing intoliaccoiunt of ail aspects of the case and

'Sincend'iffere0n%ceA'"factor is only 0.03 and since the learned

Comrnlis_sioV'ne'r'v_v.for~,Workmen's Compensation has assessed the

vcompen"sati'on"b'y taking Rs.4,000/- as wages, I do not find

'reason"'to disturb the finding with regard to award of

comtwpeinsiation.

0′ 10. It is the contention of the learned counsel for the

appellant that the learned Commissioner for Workmen’s

Compensation has awarded interest at 12% per annum from

Q/”