Supreme Court rules vehicle's mere presence is not enough for motor accident compensation

Supreme Court rules that compensation under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 cannot be awarded solely because a vehicle was present in the sequence of events.

Claimants must establish a credible causal link between the vehicle's use and the death or injury to obtain compensation.

The judgment in Dilip Agarwal vs Rajshri Agarwal & Ors., delivered by Justices Sanjay Karol and Augustine George Masih, sets aside awards by the MACT and Chhattisgarh High Court.

The court found no forensic evidence connecting the car to the death, such as bloodstains or hair, and no accident occurred.

Mere involvement of a vehicle in the chain of events is insufficient for liability; a demonstrable causal nexus is required.