Hyderabad: The Supreme Court has ruled that insurance companies are not liable to pay compensation if a policyholder dies while driving negligently or at excessive speed.
The verdict came in a case involving one Ravish, who died on June 18, 2014, while allegedly driving a car in a reckless and overspeeding manner in Karnataka. His family had approached the Karnataka High Court seeking ₹80 lakh as insurance compensation.
The charge sheet filed by police cited overspeeding and negligence as the primary reasons for the accident. Ravish’s family argued in court that a tyre burst caused the mishap, but the court found evidence supporting reckless driving and dismissed the family’s claim.
The High Court held that those violating traffic norms or driving carelessly cannot have their families claim insurance benefits. It also stated that the burden to prove coverage under the policy lies on the claimant.
Ravish’s relatives challenged this order before the Supreme Court. A bench of Justice P.S. Narasimha and Justice R. Mahadevan examined the case and upheld the High Court’s view, confirming that no insurance payout was warranted since the driver died due to his own negligence.