Supreme Court bins plea to shift MACT case from UP to WB

New Delhi, August 5

Describing Hindi as a national language, the Supreme Court has rejected seeking transfer of a motor accident claims case pending in the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT), Farrukhabad, in UP to the MACT, Darjeeling in West Bengal, on account of language problem.

“In a country as diverse as India, it is no doubt true that people speak different languages. There are at least 22 official languages. However, Hindi being the national language, it is expected of the witnesses who would be produced by the petitioner before the MACT, Fatehgarh, UP, to communicate and convey their version in Hindi,” Justice Dipankar Datta said.

The SC also rejected the submission of the accused that since the accident had taken place in Siliguri (West Bengal), it would be expedient for the MACT in Darjeeling to decide the claim petition.