Jashoda Kumari Pradhan & Anr. vs The Divisional Manager, The United India Insurance Company Ltd. & Anr.
- SCC(2016) 12 SCC 431
- Neutral2016 INSC 88
Ratio decidendi
The rule this decision rests on
Under the Workmen Compensation Act, 1923, a High Court cannot delete the award of interest granted by the Assistant Labour Commissioner-cum-Commissioner to the legal heirs of a deceased workman unless there is a substantive legal reason for doing so; the award of interest at the rate determined by the lower authority should be upheld unless the High Court finds it to be contrary to law or unreasonable.
Written by Miss Lucy from the judgment below, not taken from a headnote.
Judgment
As delivered
NON-REPORTABLE IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION
CIVIL APPEAL NO.514 OF 2016 (Arising out of SLP(C)No.2266/2015 @ SLP..CC 910/2016)
JASHODA KUMARI PRADHAN & ANR. ... APPELLANT(S)
VS.
THE DIVISIONAL MANAGER, THE UNITED INDIA INSURANCE COMPANY LTD. & ANR. . ... RESPONDENT(S)
J U D G M E N T
ANIL R. DAVE, J.
1. Leave granted.
2. Heard the learned counsel.
3. The issue involved in the appeal is with regard to
payment of interest, to the legal heirs of the deceased,
under the provisions of Workmen Compensation Act, 1923.
4. The Assistant Labour Commissioner-cum-Commissioner
for Workmen's Compensation, Odisha, Bhubaneswar, in W.C.
Case No.122/2009 dated 18th October, 2014, had awarded a
sum of Rs.3,06,180/- (Rupees Three Lakhs Six Thousand One
Hundred Eighty only) by way of compensation to the heirs
of a deceased workman along with interest thereon @12% per
annum. The said Award was challenged before the High Signature Not Verified Digitally signed by Sarita Purohit Date: 2016.01.29 Court and the High Court allowed the appeal filed by 16:12:22 IST Reason:
claimants deleting the provisions with regard to payment
of interest.
5. We fail to see the reason for which the High Court
denied payment of interest to the legal heirs. Therefore,
we set aside the impugned judgment passed by the High
Court with regard to non-payment of interest and restore
the Award dated 18th October, 2014, directing the
respondent to pay interest, as awarded by the Assistant
Labour Commissioner-cum-Commissioner. The amount shall be
paid by the respondent-Insurance Company to the appellants
within eight weeks from the date of receipt of this order.
6. If the respondent-Insurance Company is aggrieved by
this order, it would be open to file an application so
that the matter can be reconsidered.
7. Intimation of this order be forwarded to the
respondents.
8. With the above directions, the appeal is disposed of
as allowed with no order as to costs. Pending
application, if any, stands disposed of.
..............J. [ANIL R. DAVE]
..............J. [ADARSH KUMAR GOEL] New Delhi;
22nd January, 2016.
ITEM NO.21 COURT NO.2 SECTION XV
S U P R E M E C O U R T O F I N D I A RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS
Petition for Special Leave to Appeal (C)No.2266/2016 @ SLP.......CC No.910/2016
(Arising out of impugned final judgment and order dated 09/04/2015 in FAO No.4/2015 passed by the High Court of Orissa at Cuttack)
JASHODA KUMARI PRADHAN AND ANR. Petitioner(s)
VERSUS
THE DIVISIONAL MANAGER, THE UNITED INDIA INSURANCE COMPANY LTD. & ANR. Respondent(s) (With appln. for c/delay in filing SLP and c/delay in refiling SLP)
Date : 22/01/2016 This petition was called on for hearing today.
CORAM :
HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE ANIL R. DAVE HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE ADARSH KUMAR GOEL
For Petitioner(s) Mr. Sanjay Kumar Dubey,Adv.
Ms. Shuchi Singh,Adv.
Mr. Jitendra Kr. Tripathi,Adv. Mr. Anshuman Nayak,Adv.
Mr. Harish Pandey,Adv.
For Respondent(s)
UPON hearing the counsel the Court made the following O R D E R
Delay condoned.
Leave granted.
The appeal is disposed of as allowed with no order as to costs in terms of signed Non-reportable judgment.
(Sarita Purohit) (Sneh Bala Mehra) Court Master Assistant Registrar
(Signed Non-reportable judgment is placed on the file)
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