Insurance firm not liable to pay compensation for death of persons driving rashly: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court has said insurance companies are not liable to pay compensation to the families of individuals who die as a result of their own rash and reckless driving.

A bench of Justices P.S. Narasimha and R. Mahadevan refused to grant ₹80 lakh compensation sought by the wife, son and parents of a man who died while driving a car at high speed.

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The top court refused to interfere with the Karnataka High Court’s order dated November 23, 2024, which had dismissed the plea filed by the deceased legal heirs claiming compensation.

“We are not inclined to interfere with the impugned judgment passed by the High Court. Hence, the Special Leave Petition is dismissed,” the bench said in an order passed on Wednesday.

Cannot claim compensation

On June 18, 2014, N.S. Ravisha was driving from Mallasandra village to Arasikere town when the accident took place. His father, sister and her children were travelling in the car.

The court had found that Ravisha drove the car in a negligent manner without following traffic rules and lost control over the vehicle which toppled on the road. Ravisha sustained fatal injuries in the accident.

The High Court had held that because “the accident occurred due to the rash and negligent driving of the deceased himself and he being self-tortfeasor, the legal heirs cannot claim any compensation for his death, otherwise it would amount to a person who committed breach getting the compensation for his own wrongs.”