{"id":12633,"date":"2000-11-29T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2000-11-28T18:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/ms-hanil-era-textiles-limited-vs-oriental-insurance-co-ltd-ors-on-29-november-2000"},"modified":"2015-03-22T06:15:56","modified_gmt":"2015-03-22T00:45:56","slug":"ms-hanil-era-textiles-limited-vs-oriental-insurance-co-ltd-ors-on-29-november-2000","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.legalindia.com\/judgments\/ms-hanil-era-textiles-limited-vs-oriental-insurance-co-ltd-ors-on-29-november-2000","title":{"rendered":"M\/S Hanil Era Textiles Limited vs Oriental Insurance Co. Ltd. &amp; Ors on 29 November, 2000"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"docsource_main\">Supreme Court of India<\/div>\n<div class=\"doc_title\">M\/S Hanil Era Textiles Limited vs Oriental Insurance Co. Ltd. &amp; Ors on 29 November, 2000<\/div>\n<div class=\"doc_author\">Author: K Balakrishnan<\/div>\n<div class=\"doc_bench\">Bench: M.J.Rao, G.G.Balakrishnan<\/div>\n<pre>           CASE NO.:\nAppeal (civil) 1112 2000\n\n\nPETITIONER:\nM\/S HANIL ERA TEXTILES LIMITED\n\n\tVs.\n\nRESPONDENT:\nORIENTAL INSURANCE CO.\tLTD.  &amp; ORS.\n\nDATE OF JUDGMENT:\t29\/11\/2000\n\nBENCH:\nM.J.Rao, G.G.Balakrishnan\n\n\n\n\nJUDGMENT:\n<\/pre>\n<p>      K.G.  BALAKRISHNAN, J.\n<\/p>\n<p>      The  appellant is a manufacturer of cotton, polyester,<br \/>\nwoollen and viscose yarns and their blends.  It is a hundred<br \/>\nper  cent export-oriented unit and has got two manufacturing<br \/>\nmills,\tone  engaged in the manufacture of spinning  acrylic<br \/>\nyarn  (Mill  A) and the other for spinning cotton  yarn\t and<br \/>\nvarious blended yarn (Mill B).\tAppellant started production<br \/>\nof  these  yarns in 1994 and in the same year had  taken  12<br \/>\nfire  insurance\t policies  for a total assured\tsum  of\t Rs.<br \/>\n125.72\tcrores.\t  These policies were initially\t valid\tfrom<br \/>\nJanuary\t 1994  to October 1995 and were later  renewed\tfrom<br \/>\ntime to time.  These policies covered raw materials, stocks,<br \/>\nplant  and  machinery,\taccessories, spares,  building\tetc.<br \/>\nWhile  issuing the policies, the officials of the respondent<br \/>\nInsurance  Company had visited the premises of the appellant<br \/>\nfactory\t and inspected machinery, building, stock etc.\t and<br \/>\nthe  premia payable by the appellant were fixed accordingly.<br \/>\nMill  &#8216;B&#8217;  has a Blow-room since cotton processing  requires<br \/>\nthe   said  facility.\tThe   officials\t of  the  respondent<br \/>\nInsurance  Company inspected and verified the Blow- room and<br \/>\nthe respondent informed the appellant on 22.11.1994 that the<br \/>\nproperty  situated in the Blow-room in Mill &#8216;B&#8217; attracted  a<br \/>\nhigher\tpremium of Rs.\t8.9 per thousand instead of Rs.\t 2.5<br \/>\nper  thousand charged earlier and accordingly an  additional<br \/>\nsum  of\t Rs.   93,316\/-\t was  required to  be  paid  by\t the<br \/>\nappellant.  The appellant paid the additional premium of Rs.<br \/>\n93,316\/- as demanded by the respondent Insurance Company.\n<\/p>\n<p>      A major fire accident occurred in Mill &#8216;B&#8217; on 24.12.94<br \/>\ndestroying  the\t stocks,  machinery  and  building  therein.<br \/>\nAdmittedly,  the  Blow-room was not affected by\t fire.\t The<br \/>\nappellant  immediately reported the matter to the respondent<br \/>\nInsurance  Company.   The  surveyors  visited  the  Mill  on<br \/>\n6.1.1995  to assess the extent of damage caused by the fire.<br \/>\nHaving\ttaken  several months to complete their report,\t the<br \/>\nSurveyors   ultimately\t assessed  a   net  claim   of\t Rs.<br \/>\n3,68,60,231\/-,\t though,   according  to   the\t appellant&#8217;s<br \/>\nestimate, the loss was around Rs.  7 crores.\n<\/p>\n<p>      On  24.1.95, the respondent Insurance Company informed<br \/>\nthe  appellant that a sum of Rs.  49,89,463\/- should be paid<br \/>\nas additional premium as the Tariff Advisory Committee (TAC)<br \/>\napproved  type\tAutomatic Diversion System or Co-2  Flooding<br \/>\nSystem\t in  the  Chute\t  Feeding  arrangement\tbetween\t the<br \/>\nBlow-room  and the Carding Section was not installed in\t the<br \/>\nMill  and  in the absence of the fire protection  system  as<br \/>\nprescribed  under the TAC regulation, premium at the rate of<br \/>\nRs.   8.9  per\tthousand would be applicable to\t the  entire<br \/>\nfactory\t w.e.f.\t  1.1.95,  excluding  the  raw\tmaterial  in<br \/>\ngodown.\t  Subsequently, on 13.7.95, the respondent Insurance<br \/>\nCompany\t again\taddressed a letter to the appellant  stating<br \/>\nthat  the earlier letter for payment of Rs.  49.89,463\/- was<br \/>\ncancelled  and a sum of Rs.  1,13,13,344\/- was to be paid by<br \/>\nthe  appellant as the entire factory building, including the<br \/>\nBlow-room   was\t a  single   communicating  structure\tand,<br \/>\ntherefore,  the\t premium at a higher rate of Rs.  11.73\t per<br \/>\nthousand  was applicable to the entire area.  This was based<br \/>\non the alleged inspection by the engineers of the respondent<br \/>\nInsurance  Company  along with the engineers of\t the  Tariff<br \/>\nAdvisory Committee (TAC) and the Loss Prevention Association<br \/>\nof  India  Ltd.\t  (LPA)\t after the date of  the\t fire.\t The<br \/>\nappellant  was not agreeable to pay the additional amount so<br \/>\nrequired  to be paid to the respondent Insurance Company and<br \/>\ncontended  that the Blow-room was segregated in all respects<br \/>\nand  the  TAC  approved fire- fighting\tequipment  had\tbeen<br \/>\ninstalled  by  the  appellant.\tOn 19.9.96,  the  respondent<br \/>\nInsurance  Company informed the appellant that the competent<br \/>\nauthority  had approved the settlement of the fire claim for<br \/>\nRs.  2,94,10,834\/- and an amount of Rs.\t 73,67,636\/- was due<br \/>\ntowards customs liability.  The respondent Insurance Company<br \/>\nsought to claim a deduction of Rs.  1,20,77,614\/- towards an<br \/>\nalleged\t short-charged\tpremium.   Thus,  on  27.11.96,\t the<br \/>\nappellant  received a cheque for Rs.  1,71,33,220\/- out of a<br \/>\ntotal claim of Rs.  3,68,60,231\/-.  The respondent Insurance<br \/>\nCompany\t required the appellant to give an undertaking for a<br \/>\ndeduction  of the short- charged premium.  Aggrieved by\t the<br \/>\nsame,  the  appellant  preferred  a  complaint\tbefore\t the<br \/>\nNational  Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission and  prayed<br \/>\nthat  the respondent Insurance Company be directed to pay an<br \/>\namount\tof Rs.1,23,97,036\/- with 24% interest from  24.12.94<br \/>\ntill  the  date of payment.  The appellant also\t prayed\t for<br \/>\npayment\t of  interest @ 24% for the delayed payment  of\t Rs.<br \/>\n1,73,33,220\/- and also sought other incidental reliefs.\n<\/p>\n<p>      The  respondents\t1 to 4 (collectively referred to  as<br \/>\n&#8216;the respondent Insurance Company&#8221; in the Judgment) filed a<br \/>\njoint  reply before the Commission, wherein the\t allegations<br \/>\nmade in the complaints were denied and it was submitted that<br \/>\nthe  withholding  of the sum of Rs.  1.20,77,614\/-  was\t for<br \/>\nadequate  reasons  and\tthere was no deficiency\t of  service<br \/>\nalleged\t by  the complainant.  It was also denied  that\t the<br \/>\ndemand\tfor the additional premium was an afterthought.\t The<br \/>\nrespondent  Insurance  Company further stated that the\tsaid<br \/>\npremium\t had  to  be  charged in accordance  with  the\tFire<br \/>\nTariffs\t prescribed  by\t the Tariff  Advisory  Committee,  a<br \/>\nstatutory  body set up under the Insurance Act, 1938, as  it<br \/>\nwas obligatory for all insurance companies to charge premium<br \/>\nin  accordance therewith.  For charging the Tariff  premium,<br \/>\nit  was\t immaterial whether the fire originated in the\tmain<br \/>\narea  and not in the Blow-room or whether the Blow-room\t was<br \/>\ntotally\t unaffected  by\t the fire.  The\t Fire  Tariffs\talso<br \/>\nprovide\t for the manner in which the various sections of the<br \/>\nmultiple  occupancy risk will be segregated from each other.<br \/>\nIt  is\tonly  when  the segregation is done  in\t the  manner<br \/>\nprovided  for by the rules that varying rates of premium can<br \/>\nbe  charged for each section of a building independently  on<br \/>\nits  own merits.  The premises of the appellant factory were<br \/>\ninspected   in\tMarch  1994  and   the\tBlow-room  was\t not<br \/>\noperational.   In  view of the Tariff provisions and on\t the<br \/>\nfact of non-segregation of the Blow-room from the main area,<br \/>\nan  amount  of\tRs.  1,13,13,344\/- had to  be  short-charged<br \/>\ntowards\t premium.   A copy of the report of  the  Government<br \/>\nAudit Party was produced by the respondent Insurance Company<br \/>\nbefore\tthe  National Commission.  The respondent  Insurance<br \/>\nCompany contended that the Blow-room was not segregated from<br \/>\nthe  main  room and, therefore, the appellant was liable  to<br \/>\npay the additional premium.\n<\/p>\n<p>      After  hearing both the sides, the Commission came  to<br \/>\nthe conclusion that the enhancement of the premium was based<br \/>\non  the\t application of the TAC Regulations and it  was\t the<br \/>\nduty  of the respondent Insurance Company to have  inspected<br \/>\nand  monitored\tthe  Complainant Company even prior  to\t the<br \/>\nincidence  of  fire,  but  that\t cannot\t be  said  to  be  a<br \/>\ndeficiency  of service qua the Complainant.  The  respondent<br \/>\nInsurance  Company had every right to claim any shortage  of<br \/>\npremium\t at  a\tlater  date  even after\t the  issue  of\t the<br \/>\npolicies,  if it was found due and recoverable\tsubsequently<br \/>\nunder  the  TAC Regulations.  The Commission held  that\t the<br \/>\nappellant was not entitled to any other relief sought for in<br \/>\nthe  complaint.\t  The  complaint was  accordingly  dismissed<br \/>\nwithout costs.\tAggrieved by the same, the present appeal is<br \/>\nfiled.\n<\/p>\n<p>      We  heard\t counsel  on either side  elaborately.\t The<br \/>\nlearned\t senior counsel for the appellant contended that the<br \/>\nrespondent  Insurance  Company\tcharged\t a  higher  rate  of<br \/>\npremium\t for the Blow-room, whereas the rest of the area was<br \/>\npermitted  to  be  insured at a lower premium  and  this  is<br \/>\nindicative  of the fact that the Blow-room was separated and<br \/>\nsegregated  from  the rest of the area.\t The learned  senior<br \/>\ncounsel\t for the appellant further urged that six fire-proof<br \/>\ndoors  had been installed to protect the Blow-room area and,<br \/>\ntherefore,  the\t contention  of\t  the  respondent  that\t the<br \/>\nBlow-room   and\t  the  rest  of\t  the  area  was  a   single<br \/>\ncommunicating structure is not correct.\t The learned counsel<br \/>\nfor  the  respondent, on the other hand, contended that\t the<br \/>\nhigher\trate  of  premium  was charged\tin  respect  of\t the<br \/>\nBlow-room  on  the assumption that the appellant would\tmake<br \/>\nthe  Blow-room\ta  segregated\tportion.   The\trespondent&#8217;s<br \/>\ncounsel\t contended  that  the  Blow-room  started  operation<br \/>\nsomewhere  in April, 1994, and even though the appellant was<br \/>\nadvised\t to furnish the separate values of the\tbifurcation,<br \/>\nthe same was not furnished.  Meanwhile, some of the policies<br \/>\nbecame\tdue  for renewal from 1.11.1994 and the renewal\t was<br \/>\ndone  on  a provisional basis.\tThe information relating  to<br \/>\nbifurcation  was given by the appellant only on 14.11.94 and<br \/>\nas  the Insurance Company had not admitted but only  assumed<br \/>\nthat the Blow- room was segregated from the rest of the area<br \/>\nof  the\t mill, the additional premium of Rs.   93,316\/-\t was<br \/>\ndemanded  by the respondent for insurance from 1.11.94.\t The<br \/>\ncontention of the respondent&#8217;s counsel is that the Blow-room<br \/>\nwas  segregated\t from  the rest of the area  with  fireproof<br \/>\ndoors only after the incident of fire.\n<\/p>\n<p>      It was urged by the respondent&#8217;s counsel that based on<br \/>\nthe  recommendations  of the Tariff Advisory Committee,\t the<br \/>\nappellant  was\tasked to pay the additional premium  of\t Rs.<br \/>\n1,13,13,344\/-  as  according  to  the  respondent  Insurance<br \/>\nCompany, the appellant should have observed the TAC approved<br \/>\ntype  of Automatic Diversion System or Co-2 Flooding  system<br \/>\nin  the Chute Feeding arrangement between the Blow-room\t and<br \/>\nthe  Carding Section, but this was not done by the appellant<br \/>\nprior  to  the occurrence of the fire and the Blow-room\t was<br \/>\nnot  segregated\t from the rest of the area.  Therefore,\t the<br \/>\nadditional premium of Rs.1,13,13,344\/- was liable to be paid<br \/>\nby the appellant.\n<\/p>\n<p>      In  this\tcase, it is not disputed that the  appellant<br \/>\nhad valid insurance policies during the period when the fire<br \/>\noccurred  in the Mill.\tAccording to the appellant, the loss<br \/>\nsuffered  by the appellant was around Rs.7 crores.  However,<br \/>\nthe    independent   surveyor\t assessed    the   loss\t  at<br \/>\nRs.3,68,60,231\/.   Even\t according  to the  respondent,\t the<br \/>\namount\tpayable under the insurance policies was settled  at<br \/>\nRs.  2,94,10,834\/- vide its letter dated 19th September 1996<br \/>\nand  by\t the same communication the appellant  was  informed<br \/>\nthat  a\t sum of Rs.  1,20,77,614\/- would be  deducted.\t The<br \/>\ndispute\t relates only to the question whether the  appellant<br \/>\nwas  in\t fact  liable to pay the additional premium  of\t Rs.<br \/>\n1,13,13,344\/-.\t This claim was based on the basis that\t the<br \/>\nappellant  had not segregated the Blow-room from the rest of<br \/>\nthe area and therefore, the entire area attracted premium at<br \/>\nthe  rate  of Rs.11.73 per thousand.  It may be\t noted\tthat<br \/>\ninitially the entire area was insured @ Rs.2.5 per thousand,<br \/>\nand   subsequently  the\t officers   and\t engineers  of\t the<br \/>\nrespondent  Insurance  Company visited the premises  of\t the<br \/>\nappellant  factory and vide communication dated\t 22.11.1994,<br \/>\nthe  Blow- room was separately insured at the higher rate of<br \/>\nRs.   8.9  per\tthousand.   In\tthe  letter  dated  22.11.94<br \/>\naddressed  to the appellant, it was stated that:  &#8220;We are in<br \/>\nreceipt\t of your letter dated 14th November, 1994 furnishing<br \/>\nseparate values in respect of the properties situated in the<br \/>\nBlow-room  area\t of your factory referred to  herein  above.<br \/>\nThe additional premium in respect of the said property comes<br \/>\nto  Rs.\t  93,316\/-  as\tper the\t premium  computation  shown<br \/>\nhereunder.&#8221;  Therefore,\t it is clear that the Blow-room\t was<br \/>\ntaken  as a separate portion segregated from the rest of the<br \/>\nfactory premises.\n<\/p>\n<p>      The  fire occurred on 24.12.1994 and the surveyors M\/s<br \/>\nMehta  &amp;  Padamsey  Pvt.   Ltd.\t  visited  the\tpremises  on<br \/>\n6.1.1995.   In the report of the Surveyors, dated 16.5.1996,<br \/>\nit  was\t stated\t that the Blow-room was connected  with\t the<br \/>\nprocess\t area via the opening meant for the fireproof doors.<br \/>\nIt  was\t also stated that the entire main factory  building,<br \/>\nincluding   the\t area  of  the\t Blow-room  was\t  a   single<br \/>\ncommunicating  structure.   But,  on the other hand,  it  is<br \/>\npertinent  to  note  that the representatives  of  the\tLoss<br \/>\nPrevention  Association\t of  India Ltd.\t  also\tvisited\t the<br \/>\nfactory\t premises and in paragraph 7.1 of their report ,  it<br \/>\nis stated by them as under:\n<\/p>\n<p>      &#8220;As mentioned earlier, various sections of the factory<br \/>\nwere  not segregated from each other (except Blow Room which<br \/>\nwas segregated by means of double fire-proof doors).  So the<br \/>\nfire  spread very quickly from the stock of raw material  to<br \/>\nthe  finished  product stack which was located at the  other<br \/>\nend of the section named &#8216;Mixing Conditioning Department.&#8221;\n<\/p>\n<p>      [emphasis supplied]<\/p>\n<p>      When  the\t appellant raised objections  regarding\t the<br \/>\nopinion\t expressed  by the surveyors, M\/s Mehta\t &amp;  Padamsey<br \/>\nPvt.  Ltd., a revised report was given on February 11, 1997,<br \/>\nwherein\t it  was  stated that in the absence  of  verifiable<br \/>\nrecords,  the  only date when it is possible to\t state\twith<br \/>\ncertainty  that the Blow-room was segregated, is January  6,<br \/>\n1995,  but  this  opinion  was not based  on  any  available<br \/>\nrecords or data.\n<\/p>\n<p>      It  is of primary importance to note that the fire had<br \/>\nnot  spread  to\t the Blow-room area.  That raises  a  strong<br \/>\npresumption  that  the Blow-room was segregated even  before<br \/>\nthe  accident.\tThe appellant had also produced documents to<br \/>\nshow  that they had installed the fireproof doors to protect<br \/>\nthe  Blow-room.\t  The  next  important\tfact  was  that\t the<br \/>\nrespondent  demanded  a\t higher\t rate  of  premium  for\t the<br \/>\nBlow-room  in  November\t 1994  and   this  is  prima   facie<br \/>\nindicative of the fact that the Blow-room was separated from<br \/>\nthe  rest of area.  The observations of the  representatives<br \/>\nof  the\t Loss  Prevention  Association of  India  Ltd.,\t who<br \/>\nvisited\t  the  factory\ton   6.1.1995,\tcannot\tbe   lightly<br \/>\ndisregarded.   Therefore,  it is clear that the attempts  of<br \/>\nthe  respondent Insurance Company to show that the appellant<br \/>\nhad  not  taken effective steps to segregate  the  Blow-room<br \/>\ncannot succeed.\n<\/p>\n<p>      The   respondent\t Insurance   Company   claimed\t the<br \/>\nadditional premium of Rs.  1,13,13,344\/- on the basis of the<br \/>\nrecommendations\t of  the Tariff Advisory Committee,  and  it<br \/>\nseems  that  the  Comptroller and Auditor General  had\talso<br \/>\nrecommended  that this additional premium should be paid  by<br \/>\nthe  appellant.\t  According  to the opinion  of\t the  Tariff<br \/>\nAdvisory Committee, the Blow-room was not segregated and the<br \/>\nentire\t main  factory,\t including   the  building  and\t the<br \/>\nBlow-room,  was\t a  single   communicating  structure\tand,<br \/>\ntherefore,  premium  at\t the higher rate of Rs.\t  11.73\t per<br \/>\nthousand  should  have been charged for the entire area\t and<br \/>\nthis  higher rate of Rs.  11.73 was reduced to Rs.  8.9\t per<br \/>\nthousand  by the Tariff Advisory Committee with effect\tfrom<br \/>\n1.4.1994.   It was made clear that the revised lower rate of<br \/>\nRs.8.9\tper  thousand  would apply to the  new\tbusiness  or<br \/>\nrenewals  falling  due on or after 1.4.94.  It is  also\t the<br \/>\ncase   of   the\t respondent   Insurance\t Company  that\t the<br \/>\nTAC-approved  type  Automatic  Diversion   System  or\tCo-2<br \/>\nFlooding System in the Chute Feeding arrangement between the<br \/>\nBlow-room  and the Carding Section was not installed.  It is<br \/>\npertinent to note that the appellant was never informed that<br \/>\nthese\tarrangements  have  to\tbe  made.   The\t  respondent<br \/>\nInsurance  Company has also not produced any  correspondence<br \/>\nto  show  that when the insurance policies in question\twere<br \/>\nissued,\t the  appellant was informed about these matters  or<br \/>\nthat   the   appellant\t refused  to   comply\twith   these<br \/>\nrequirements.\n<\/p>\n<p>      Learned Author E.R.  Hardy Evamy, in his book relating<br \/>\nto  Fire  &amp;  Motor Insurance, 2nd Edition, on  page  7,\t has<br \/>\nobserved:\n<\/p>\n<p>      &#8220;The  contract of fire insurance, like other contracts<br \/>\nof  insurance, differs from any ordinary contract in that it<br \/>\nrequires,  throughout  its existence, the utmost good  faith<br \/>\n(uberrima  fides)  to  be observed on the part of  both\t the<br \/>\ninsured and the insurers.\n<\/p>\n<p>      In  addition to the ordinary obligation, which  exists<br \/>\nin  every  contract  that all representations  made  by\t the<br \/>\nparties\t during the negotiations leading up to the  contract<br \/>\nshall  be  honestly  made,  it is an  implied  term  of\t the<br \/>\ncontract  of  fire  insurance that the\tperson\tseeking\t the<br \/>\ninsurance  shall  communicate  to the insurers\tall  matters<br \/>\nwithin\this  knowledge\twhich are in fact  material  to\t the<br \/>\nquestion of the insurance, and not merely all those which he<br \/>\nbelieves to be material.&#8221;\n<\/p>\n<p>      There  is no case that the insured had suppressed\t any<br \/>\nmaterial,  whereas the respondent Insurance company had\t not<br \/>\napprised the insured about the Automatic Diversion System or<br \/>\nthe  Co-2 Flooding System in the Chute Feeding\tArrangement.<br \/>\nThe  special  precautions  to be made on the  basis  of\t the<br \/>\nreport of the TAC are generally matters within the knowledge<br \/>\nof  the\t insurers  and\tthe contract of\t insurance  being  a<br \/>\ncontract  of  utmost good faith, ordinarily,  these  matters<br \/>\nshould have been brought to the notice of the insured before<br \/>\nthe  policy was issued in his favour.  It is also  important<br \/>\nto  note that the respondent Insurance Company did charge  a<br \/>\nhigher\trate  of  premium  for the  &#8220;Blow-room&#8221;.   There  is<br \/>\nnothing\t to indicate that it was done on a provisional basis<br \/>\nor that the insured suppressed any material facts.  In fact,<br \/>\nthe  engineers\tof the respondent Insurance Company  visited<br \/>\nthe  appellant&#8217;s  factory  prior  to  the  issuance  of\t the<br \/>\npolicies  and  charged\ta  higher rate of  premium  for\t the<br \/>\nBlow-room.  When premium is thus demanded and collected at a<br \/>\nhigher rate, it is an indication regarding the nature of the<br \/>\ncontract that subsists between the parties, namely, that the<br \/>\ninsurer\t was  aware  of\t the   higher  risks  involved.\t  In<br \/>\nHalsbury&#8217;s  Laws  of  England, Vol.  25, at  Para  458,\t the<br \/>\nfollowing observations are made:\n<\/p>\n<p>      &#8220;The  rate of premium in fact charged may give rise to<br \/>\nimportant  inferences.\tThe materiality of a representation,<br \/>\nwhich  has been made, may be inferred from a reduced rate of<br \/>\npremium\t being charged.\t Similarly, ignorance on the part of<br \/>\nthe insurers of some matter supposed to be well known may be<br \/>\ninferred  if  they charge no more than the ordinary rate  of<br \/>\npremium,  while an exceptionally high rate of premium may be<br \/>\nindicative  of\ttheir  acceptance of the risk  as  hazardous<br \/>\nwithout\t requiring disclosure of the precise facts making it<br \/>\nso.&#8221;\n<\/p>\n<p>      It  is  clear  that the respondent  Insurance  Company<br \/>\nrecovered the premium at a higher rate for the Blow-room and<br \/>\nthis  can only be on the basis of the acceptance of the fact<br \/>\nthat  the  Blow-room  was a separate unit.   Therefore,\t the<br \/>\ncontention of the respondent that the Blow-room and the rest<br \/>\nof  the area was a single communicating structure cannot  be<br \/>\naccepted.\n<\/p>\n<p>      On  reappraisal  of  the evidence,  including  various<br \/>\ncorrespondences\t between the insured and the insurer, it  is<br \/>\nclear  that the appellant had segregated the Blow-room\tfrom<br \/>\nthe  rest of the area even prior to the occurrence of  fire.<br \/>\nThe  fact  that\t the  respondent charged a  higher  rate  of<br \/>\npremium\t after having inspected the premises, and the report<br \/>\nof  the Loss Prevention Association of India Ltd.  that\t the<br \/>\nBlow-room was segregated by means of double fire-proof doors<br \/>\nand  the  fire had not spread to this area,  strengthen\t the<br \/>\nplea  of the appellant as regards the Blow-room.  It is also<br \/>\nto  be noted that the respondent Insurance Company  received<br \/>\nthe  separate values of bifurcation as early as on  14.11.94<br \/>\nwithout any demur and went ahead with the issuance of policy<br \/>\ncharging  premium  at a higher rate for the Blow-room.\t The<br \/>\nbelated\t steps taken by the respondent to charge premium  at<br \/>\nstill  higher  rate  for the entire area was  not  justified<br \/>\nunder  law.  It may be noted that out of Rs.  1,13,13,344\/-,<br \/>\nan  amount  of Rs.  43,99,003\/- was sought to be  levied  as<br \/>\npremium\t due for the period 1993-94.  This amount was sought<br \/>\nto be recovered from the appellant apparently much after the<br \/>\nlapse  of the validity period of those policies.  Therefore,<br \/>\nwe  hold  that\ta  sum\tof Rs.\t 1,20,77,614\/-\tdue  to\t the<br \/>\nappellant was illegally withheld by the respondent.\n<\/p>\n<p>      In  the  result, the respondent Insurance\t Company  is<br \/>\ndirected  to  pay  an amount of Rs.   1,20,77,614\/-  to\t the<br \/>\nappellant  with 12% interest per annum from 14.3.97, that is<br \/>\nthe  date of the complaint filed by the appellant before the<br \/>\nNational  Consumer Disputes Redresssal Commission, up to the<br \/>\ndate  of  payment.  The appellant would also be entitled  to<br \/>\nproportionate  costs from the respondent Insurance  Company.<br \/>\nThe appeal stands allowed to the extent indicated above.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Supreme Court of India M\/S Hanil Era Textiles Limited vs Oriental Insurance Co. Ltd. &amp; Ors on 29 November, 2000 Author: K Balakrishnan Bench: M.J.Rao, G.G.Balakrishnan CASE NO.: Appeal (civil) 1112 2000 PETITIONER: M\/S HANIL ERA TEXTILES LIMITED Vs. RESPONDENT: ORIENTAL INSURANCE CO. LTD. &amp; ORS. DATE OF JUDGMENT: 29\/11\/2000 BENCH: M.J.Rao, G.G.Balakrishnan JUDGMENT: K.G. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12633","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-supreme-court-of-india"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>M\/S Hanil Era Textiles Limited vs Oriental Insurance Co. 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