Motor Accident Claim--Standard of Proof--Minor Discrepancies in Evidence Cannot Defeat Welfare Claim Under Motor Vehicles Act 1988 Decided on Preponderance of Probability
Motor accident claim proceedings under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 must be decided on the standard of preponderance of probability and not proof beyond reasonable doubt. Under Section 163A, negligence need not be proved; it is sufficient that the injury is reasonably connected to the motor vehicle in question. Minor documentary discrepancies, delay in lodging FIR due to hospitalisation, isolated errors in recollecting vehicle registration numbers, and absence of independent eyewitnesses cannot defeat a welfare claim where cumulative evidence establishes the accident. Courts must take a holistic rather than hyper-technical view of evidence in such proceedings.
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