Fine of Rs 25K imposed on Faridkot Transport Office

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, April 26

The State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Punjab, has imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on the District Transport Office, Faridkot, for publishing a wrong date of driving licence’s validity, pushing an accident’s victim to protracted litigation.

While refusing to give any benefit of the Transport Department’s “mistake” to an insurance company, which had rebutted the insurance claim of the accident victim, the forum has also directed ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Limited to pay Rs 2.73 lakh to the victim.

The “mistake” of theDistrict Transport Office in preparing the driving licence came to the fore after Pardeep Kumar, a resident of Kotkapura, met with a road accident on June 17, 2016, in which his car was badly damaged.

The company denied the insurance claim to Pardeep, saying he did not have the valid driving licence on the day of the accident.

For disproving the insurance claim to Pardeep, the insurance company said as per the District Transport Office’s record in Faridkot, the validity of the driving licence was till March 21, 2016. However, while producing his driving licence before the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum here and state commission in Chandigarh, Pardeep claimed that the validity of the driving licence was written up to September 3, 2016. As the accident had occurred on June 17, 2016, so he was entitled of the insurance cover, said Pardeep.

“If there is any mistake in making the driving licence by mentioning different dates of validity on the license and in the official record of the department, it is responsibility of the Transport Department not the accident victim. Moreover, the insurance company cannot take benefit of the mistake in the official record to deny the insurance claim to the victim,” observed the state commission.

For the contrasting validity date of the licecse, the surveyor of the insurance company had dubbed the driving license of the accident victim as a fake and claimed that as per Section 3 of the Motor Vehicles Act, no person shall drive a motor vehicle in any public place unless he holds an effective driving licence issued to him authorising him to drive the vehicle.

However, the commission said as there was prima facie no alteration on the driving licence, so he should not be a sufferer for the negligence of the Transport Office.

Insurance firm told to pay Rs 2.73 lakh to victim

• While refusing to give any benefit of the Transport Department's “mistake” to an insurance company, which had rebutted the insurance claim of the accident victim, State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Punjab, has also directed ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Limited to pay Rs 2.73 lakh to the victim. 
• The mater came to the fore after Pardeep Kumar, a resident of Kotkapura, met with a road accident on June 17, 2016, in which his car was badly damaged.