Bengaluru: Suspecting a possible conspiracy to obtain compensation from an insurance company by fabricating the circumstances of a 16-year-old accident, the Karnataka High Court has ordered a fresh police investigation by a Special Investigation Team (SIT).
The court also imposed a Rs 10,000 cost on Pai. The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal at Kumta rejected the claim on November 28, 2016. Justice Geetha K B, while dismissing an appeal filed by accident claimant Giridhar Pai, directed the Inspector General of Police, Western Range, Mangaluru, to constitute an SIT and submit its report within three months. United India Insurance Company, however, disputed the claim and alleged that the vehicle had been falsely implicated in the accident. After examining the records, Justice Geetha agreed with the tribunal’s decision and found several circumstances that cast serious doubt on Giridhar’s version of the accident. The court also noted that Nagappa, who was subsequently projected as the rider and possessed a valid driving licence, entered the picture only about a month after the accident. Until then, Giridhar himself had been treated as the suspected rider. Justice Geetha held that the tribunal was justified in rejecting the claim petition and directed the police to conduct a fresh investigation into the circumstances surrounding the accident and the subsequent claim.