‘Drunk drivers pose risk to society’: Karnataka High Court cuts crash compensation by 30%

The bench further noted that when a claimant has violated the mandate of law, the principle of liberal interpretation applied to benevolent enactments like the Motor Vehicles Act cannot be stretched to cover such cases. In an era of growing population, rising vehicle numbers, and increasing road congestion, the court said road users must obey the law and show concern for fellow commuters.

Insurance appeal and contributory negligence

Following these observations, the High Court partly allowed an appeal filed by National Insurance Co Ltd, which had challenged a tribunal order directing it to pay the entire award amount to the claimant, Vishwanath, 34, who was injured in a September 2018 crash.

The insurance company argued that hospital records established the claimant was intoxicated at the time of the crash, thereby contributing directly to the negligence that caused the incident.

The bench dismissed the insurer’s argument that a doctor’s brief note describing the incident as a “fall from the motorcycle” implied a self-fall, observing that initial medical focus is on emergency treatment rather than detailed accident histories, and noting that the insured car had dashed against the claimant.

The court accepted medical evidence confirming the claimant was under the influence of alcohol when brought to the hospital. Consequently, it attributed 30 per cent of the negligence to Vishwanath, relieving the insurer from paying the full original payout.

Extending liberal legal interpretations to a claimant under such circumstances, the court stated, would place a premium on law violations and lead to a breakdown of road discipline and law and order.