Chennai: Lambasting the authorities of a hospital for issuing cooked up cash receipts in support of a claim, the Madras high court has reduced by more than 50 per cent the compensation awarded by a tribunal to a motor accident victim.
A Division Bench comprising Justices R. Sudhakar and S. Vaidyanathan said, “We record our anguish over the action of the hospital authorities, who have issued cooked up cash receipts in support of the claim. Their action has to be deprecated.They can neither take the judiciary nor the insurer for a ride.”
Partly allowing an appeal from M/s New India Assurance Company, the court reduced the compensation awarded by a Motor Accident Claims Tribunal to the victim Karthick from Rs 44.75 lakh to 21.55 lakh.
On September 16, 2012, when Karthick (19) was riding his motorcycle along with G. Saravanan as a pillion rider, on Konnur high road at Otteri, a lorry driven in a rash and negligent manner dashed against the two-wheeler. Both the claimant and pillion rider sustained grievous injuries. On a petition filed by Karthick, the tribunal awarded Rs 44.75 lakh. Aggrieved, the insurance company filed the present appeal.
The bench said the tribunal has awarded Rs 9.81 lakh towards medical expenses. Though, very many bills have been filed before the tribunal, in the considered view of the court, the bills were unbelievable.
