Chennai: Keeping in view that Deepavali is fast approaching and there is need to operate more buses as number of passengers would be more, the Madras high court has ordered the immediate release of 450 Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation buses, attached by various Motor Accident Claims Tribunals in the state for non-payment of the award (compensation) amount.
Justice N.Kirubakaran directed the tribunals to release immediately the attached vehicles on condition that the transport corporations shall deposit 25 per cent of the compensation amount along with interest and costs to the credit of the claim petition before the tribunals on or before November 28, 2016.
The balance amount of 75 per cent has to be deposited before the tribunals in three installments. The first installment of 25 per cent on or before January 9, 2016, another 25 per cent on or before February 20, 2017, and the last installment of 25 per cent on or before April 3, 2017, the judge added.
Passing orders on the affidavits filed by the transport corporation, the judge said since the appeals filed by the corporation have been pending before this court as part heard matters, affidavits have been filed stating that 450 buses of the TN State Transport Corporation have been attached by various Motor Accident Claims Tribunals in Tamil Nadu in the execution petitions filed by the claimants.
The buses have been attached for non-payment of the award amounts. By keeping the buses in the court custody, the claimants were not able to get compensation money and the transport corporations were also put to loss because of the attachment of the buses. Consequently, the travelling public were put to untold hardship because of non-plying of the buses, the judge added.
The judge said considering the need to operate more buses during the summer vacation, this court had on April 28, 2015, directed the release of the attached transport corporation buses subject to similar conditions. The judge posted the matter to November 29 for reporting compliance of the first condition.
