In a reaffirmation of legal principles surrounding motor accident claims, the Supreme Court emphasized that police records, including charge sheets and investigative findings, can play a critical role in assessing negligence.
A bench comprising Justices CT Ravikumar and Rajesh Bindal drew from the precedent set in Mangla Ram v. Oriental Insurance Co. Ltd. (2018), underscoring that charge sheets filed against a driver can serve as evidence of negligent and rash driving. The Court noted that tribunals must consider all available evidence, including police documents, to render decisions on negligence essential for awarding compensation.
Addressing a challenge brought by an insurance company against a High Court judgment, the Supreme Court upheld the lower court’s decision. The Tribunal in question had relied on the police’s final report implicating the driver of the offending vehicle, a procedure the High Court had found appropriate.
The bench also referenced Mathew Alexander v. Mohammed Shafi (2023), reiterating that claimants in motor accident cases need only prove their claims through the preponderance of probabilities, not beyond a reasonable doubt.
This ruling reinforces the importance of comprehensive police documentation in motor accident cases, allowing tribunals to base their findings on a broader evidentiary foundation.
