Supreme Court of India
THE NEW INDIA ASSURANCE CO. LTD.versusSRI BUCHIYYAMMA RICE MILL & ANR.
- Citation
- 2020 INSC 71
- Decided
- 21 January 2020
- Disposal
- Appeal(s) allowed
- Bench
- D Y CHANDRACHUD
Holding
An insurer may appoint more than one surveyor provided there are cogent reasons for doing so, and the delay in survey reports does not per se invalidate the insurer’s assessment under Section 64‑UM(2).
Summary
The rice mill suffered a boiler collapse after a lorry allegedly collided with it, and the insurer, New India Assurance, repudiated the claim, citing overload as the cause. The insurer appointed a preliminary surveyor, a structural expert, an investigator, and a final IRDA‑licensed surveyor, all of whom concluded the collapse was due to overload, not impact. The State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission dismissed the insured's complaint, but the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission reversed that decision, holding the insurer in breach of IRDA Regulation 9 for delayed surveys. On appeal, the Supreme Court examined whether the insurer could lawfully appoint successive surveyors and whether the delay invalidated the reports. The Court held that while Section 64‑UM(2) of the Insurance Act does not forbid multiple surveyors, each appointment must be justified by deficiencies in the prior report, which was satisfied here, and the delay did not render the reports ineffective. Consequently, the Court set aside the NCDRC order and allowed the appeal, upholding the insurer’s denial of the claim.
Issues considered
- The insurer's right under Section 64‑UM(2) of the Insurance Act, 1938 to appoint successive surveyors for a claim.
- Whether the delay in submitting the survey reports violated IRDA (Protection of Policyholders’ Interests) Regulations, 2002, Regulation 9.
- Whether the insurer acted in bad faith by appointing multiple surveyors to obtain a favorable report.
Legislation cited
Subjects
Insurance claimSurveyor appointmentSection 64-UMIRDA RegulationsConsumer Disputes RedressalClaim repudiationMultiple surveyorsDelay in survey report
Judgment
[2020] 3 S.C.R. 549 549
THE NEW INDIA ASSURANCE CO. LTD. A
v.
SRI BUCHIYYAMMA RICE MILL & ANR.
(Civil Appeal No. 504 of 2020)
JANUARY 21, 2020 B
[DR. DHANANJAYA Y CHANDRACHUD
AND AJAY RASTOGI, JJ.]
Insurance:
Insurance claim – Case of the insured was that while the rice C
mill (insured property) was in operation, a lorry collided with the
boiler unit which resulted in collapse of the boiler unit causing
damage estimated at Rs. 76 lakhs – Preliminary survey was
conducted within a week which suggested appointment of structural
expert – Thereafter Structural Expert was appointed who in his report
D
opined that the accident was as a result of exceeding the load
carrying capacity and due to breach in storage capacity of the
system and not due to the reason as stated by the insured –
Investigation was also conducted which agreed with the previous
report – Thereafter surveyor licenced by IRDA was appointed, who
in his final survey report opined that structure had collapsed due to E
overload – Insurance claim repudiated – Complaint before State
Consumer Commission was dismissed – In appeal, National Consumer
Commission awarded insurance claim holding that delayed
submission of reports was in breach of provisions of s.9 of IRDA
Regulations, 2002 – Appeal to Supreme Court – Held: Though under
F
Section 64- UM(2) of Insurance Act, it is not open to insurer to
appoint a succession of surveyors with a view to obtain a tailor-
made report – There is no absolute prohibition on the insurer
appointing more than one surveyor – In the present case all the
reports maintained a consistent line of reasoning with regard to
nature and genesis of the incident – There exists no malafide on part G
of the insurer – National Commission has not acted reasonably in
overturning the well considered decision of State Commission –
Insurance Act, 1938 – s. 64-UM(2) – Insurance Regulatory and
Development Authority of India (Protection of Policy holders’
Interest) Regulations, 2002 – Regulation 9.
H
549
550 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2020] 3 S.C.R.
A Allowing the appeal, the Court
HELD: 1. The impugned judgment of the NCDRC has
incorrectly analysed the basis by the insurer for the appointment
of surveyors for the purpose of inspection and assessment. The
record indicates that immediately upon receipt of an intimation
B of the incident, the insurer initially appointed a surveyor to submit
a preliminary survey report. The inspection was carried out on
19 April 2005 close on the heels of the incident. The report of
the preliminary surveyor found serious anomalies in the claim of
the insured in regard to the genesis of the incident. It was on the
suggestion of the surveyor that the appellant obtained an opinion
C from a structural expert. The insurer thereafter proceeded to
obtain the opinion of an investigator on 8 December 2006, and
eventually, a final survey report was submitted on 29 June 2007.
The purpose of the final survey was to determine, on the basis of
the material which had emerged during the course of an inspection
D the cause of the incident, and to assess the extent of damage and
loss. [Para 12][558-D-F]
2. While determining whether the appointment of a second
or successive surveyor is justified, one must take into
consideration the necessity of doing so and it must be weighed in
E the context of relevant facts and circumstances including the
deficiencies or omissions in the report of the first surveyor. Each
case must be independently considered based on relevant facts
and circumstances. There ought to be cogent reasons for
appointing a second surveyor. [Para 14][560-D-E]
F 3. The report of a surveyor must be given due importance
and that there should be sufficient grounds for explaining a
disagreement with an assessment made by a report of the
surveyor. Yet at the same time, under Section 64-UM(2) of the
Insurance Act 1938, it is not open to the insurer to merely appoint
a succession of surveyors with a view to obtain a tailor-made
G report. It is open to the insurer to appoint another surveyor for
valid reasons bearing on the deficiencies found in the survey
report and the reasons which must be indicated by the insurer.
There is no absolute prohibition on the insurer appointing more
H
THE NEW INDIA ASSURANCE CO. LTD. v. SRI BUCHIYYAMMA 551
RICE MILL & ANR.
than one surveyor. In the present case the process which was A
followed by the insurer was not designed to obtain a report which
would adopt a position adverse to the claim of the insured. There
exist no mala fides on part of the insurer. On the contrary, it is
evident from the record that the reports which have been relied
upon maintained a consistent line of reasoning in regard to the
B
nature and genesis of the incident. In this backdrop, the NCDRC
has not acted reasonably in overturning the considered decision
of the SCDRC. Cogent reasons were given by the SCDRC for
rejecting the claim of deficiency of service on the part of the
insurer. On the basis of the material which has emerged from the
record, the opinion of the SCDRC is found to be correct. The C
view which has been taken by the NCDRC is not consistent with
the statement of legal position and is contrary to the material
evidence on the record. [Paras 13 and 16][559-D-E; 561-D-F]
Sri Venkateswara Syndicate v Oriental Insurance
Company Limited and Another (2009) 8 SCC 507 : D
[2009] 14 SCR 57 – relied on
New India Assurance Company Limited v Protection
Manufacturers Private Limited (2010) 7 SCC 386 :
[2010] 8 SCR 61 – distinguished.
Case Law Reference E
[2009] 14 SCR 57 relied on Para 13
[2010] 8 SCR 61 distinguished Para 15
CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION: Civil Appeal No. 504 of
2020. F
From the Judgment and Order dated 04.02.2019 of the National
Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, New Delhi, Circuit Bench
at Hyderabad, Telangana in First Appeal No. 277 of 2012.
K.K. Bhat, Ranjan Kumar Pandey, Advs. for the Appellant.
G
Mrs. K. Radha, K. Maruthi Rao, Mrs. Anjani Aiyagari, Advs. for
the Respondents.
H
552 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2020] 3 S.C.R.
A The Judgment of the Court was delivered by
DR. DHANANJAYA Y CHANDRACHUD, J.
1. Leave granted.
2. This appeal arises from a judgment of the National
B Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission1 dated 4 February 2019, by
which the decision of the State Consumer Disputes Redressal
Commission2 was reversed and the insurer was di- rected to pay a sum
of Rs 29,23,503 together with interest at the rate of nine per cent per
annum from the date of repudiation of claim i.e. 15 October 2007.
C 3. The first respondent has a rice mill situated in East
Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh. The claim of the first respondent
was in terms of three standard fire and special perils insurance policies,
to cover specified risks in respect of plant and machinery, the building,
the godowns, stock of rice, paddy, and the boiling units in the year
2004-2005. On 19 April 2005, the first respondent reported that while
D the rice mill was in operation, a lorry which was in the process of reversing,
collided with the boiler unit, as a result of which the boiler unit collapsed
in its en- tirety together with sixteen storage tanks including a paddy
bin and an elevator. The damage was estimated at Rs 76 lakhs. A First
Information Report was lodged on 21 April 2005, and a telegraphic
E intimation was furnished to the appellant on the same day. Initially, the
appellant deputed Mr V Satya Sai Baba, an insurance surveyor to conduct
a preliminary survey of the damage. The report of the preliminary survey
was submitted on 25 April 2005 wherein, it was stated that it was un-
likely that the incident had taken place in the manner in which the
insured had claimed. The survey report indicated several reasons in
F support of these findings, which are extracted below:
“1. According to the information given by the lorry driver of
ADB7047 while he is reversing the lorry towards the paddy
boiling unit he suddenly heard some noise and jumped from the
lorry and observed the collapsing of the paddy boiling unit.
G
2. After observing the collapsed paddy boiling unit and
alleged impact truck ADB7047 jointly the following observations
were clearly observed.
1
“NCDRC”
2
H “SCDRC”
THE NEW INDIA ASSURANCE CO. LTD. v. SRI BUCHIYYAMMA 553
RICE MILL & ANR. [DR. DHANANJAYA Y CHANDRACHUD, J.]
a. The alleged impact truck rear portion collapsed boiling unit A
structures are having reasonable distance, which means there
is no direct impact of alleged truck and structures. Photo no
10 shows the clear picture.
b. A huge MS sheet of the paddy boiling bin is hanging in
between the alleged truck and collapsed structure. B
c. No damages bending or twisting of the back portion of the
body of the alleged impact vehicle were found and the body is in
good condition.
3. The alleged impact truck was found far away from the
structure. Hence the structure collapsed due to alleged impact C
by truck is to be thoroughly investigated. The same was
informed immediately to the insurer.
4. Based on collapsed structure observations I found the
boiling unit columns are flatten like compressed ‘s’ and not
collapsed unevenly. After observing this type of collapse, which D
might be occurred only during structural failure cases.
Hence a structural expert opinion is also required in order
to ascertain the real cause of damage. This information
was also informed to the insurer immediately.
5. The undersigned observed the insured premises of boiling unit E
area. The majority of the operations carried from other side
of alleged impact truck location. The clear axes of loading,
unloading and other operations are carrying to boiling unit from
that side only. The present alleged impact truck found location
was found to be not accessible for the above operation. F
6. The insured boiling unit was originally designed for 8 bins and
extended to 16 bins during 2004 ending. This extension work was
carried without proper balancing the structure at full load, which
might be the one of the cause of failure of boiling unit structure.
7. Total paddy boiling unit structure including tanks was collapsed. G
8. All boiling tanks were with paddy under process at the time of
collapse.”
(Emphasis supplied)
H
554 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2020] 3 S.C.R.
A 4. The preliminary surveyor had opined that it would be appropriate
if a structural expert was called upon to ascertain the real cause of
damage. Consequently, a report was submitted to the insurer on 25
November 2006, by Professor K Rambabu of Andhra University College
of Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering, Visakhapatnam. The
report of the structural expert indicated that (i) there was no external
B
impact noted on any of the failed columns; (ii) the storage capacity of
the system had been breached; (iii) the incident was as a result of
exceeding the load carrying capacity of the column section resulting in
the collapse of the entire paddy boiling structure. The appellant deputed
M/s Surya Teja Associates in order to investigate into the matter. In
C their report dated 8 December 2006, which was replete with photographs,
the investigator arrived at the finding that though the boiling mill was
erected in 1999 with a 32 tons capacity, at the time of collapse, the mill
was overloaded to the extent of 184.5 tons. An Insurance Regulatory
Development Authority3 licenced surveyor, Mr V Abbu Rao was also
deputed by the insurer to carry out the survey and make an assessment
D
of the losses. The surveyor submitted a final survey report dated 29
June 2007. Based on an evaluation of the nature of damage, the surveyor
noted that (i) no external impact or damage to the failed columns had
been noted; (ii) the MS sheet of the paddy bin was hanging in between
the vehicle and the collapsed structure which belied the claim that the
E body of boiling unit had collapsed as a result of collision with the lorry.
The surveyor concluded with the finding that the boiling tank structure
had collapsed due to overload and not due to the impact of a collision
with a lorry.
5. Based on the report of the surveyor, the insurer repudiated the
F claim on 15 October 2007. This led to the institution of a consumer
complaint before the SCDRC. The SCDRC dismissed the complaint
on 16 March 2012. In arriving at this finding, the SCDRC relied upon the
following circumstances:
(i) In the telegraphic communication addressed on 19 April 2005
G by the insured to the insurer, there was merely a reference
to the accident without any details of an alleged collision
with a lorry;
(ii) The appellant’s complaint was lodged at 9 pm on 29 April
2005, more than two days after the damage to the unit;
H 3
“IRDA”
THE NEW INDIA ASSURANCE CO. LTD. v. SRI BUCHIYYAMMA 555
RICE MILL & ANR. [DR. DHANANJAYA Y CHANDRACHUD, J.]
(iii) If the lorry had collided with the boiler unit with such a great A
impact as claimed, there would have been extensive damage
to the vehicle, but no evidence of any damage to the vehicle
had been produced;
(iv) The insured had not produced any material evidence to
support the plea that injuries had been caused to a worker at B
the site;
(v) Though the incident is alleged to have been videographed, no
material evidence had been produced; and
(vi) The report of the insurance company surveyor (RW 3) as
well as of the Professor in the Department of Civil C
Engineering (RW 4) indicated that the damage had been
caused not as a result of the external impact of a vehicular
collision but because the weight of the mill was beyond the
load carrying capacity of the column section. The SCDRC
also relied on the report of the Chief Investigator (RW 5), D
who had found that at the time of the incident, the mill was
loaded to the extent of 184.5 tons of paddy as against its
original capacity of 32 tons.
6. The above findings of the SCDRC have been reversed by the
NCDRC. In doing so, the NCDRC has come to the conclusion that (i) E
the report of the surveyor was submitted nearly one and half years
after the incident; and (ii) the second survey report was submitted beyond
a period of two years. This according to the NCDRC was in breach of
the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Protection
of Policyholders’ Interests) Regulations 2002, more particularly,
Regulation 9, which prescribes a period of thirty days for completion of F
the survey. Relying on the report of the Inspector of the Factories
Department, the NCDRC awarded the respondent’s claim in the
amount of Rs 29,23,503 together with interest.
7. In assailing the judgment of the NCDRC, Mr K K Bhat,
learned counsel appearing on behalf of the appellant submitted that G
there was a fundamental misconception on the part of the NCDRC
in coming to its conclusion. The first survey which was conducted was
in the nature of a preliminary survey. It was submitted that the inspection
took place on 19 April 2005 at 3 pm, soon after the incident was reported,
and a report was submitted within less than a week thereafter on
H
556 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2020] 3 S.C.R.
A 25 April 2005. A further report was obtained from the structural expert
at the Department of Civil Engineering, Andhra University College of
Engineering, since the preliminary survey had set out the need for
obtaining a structural opinion. The Chief Investigator submitted his report
on 8 December 2006 and the final survey report itself was submitted on
29 June 2007. The final survey report which had been submitted was
B
also of a surveyor who had inspected the site on 21 April 2005. Learned
counsel while relying upon the decision of this Court in Sri
Venkateswara Syndicate v Oriental Insurance Company Limited
and Another4, submitted that in the present case the insurer had valid
reasons for obtaining a preliminary report after which a structural opinion
C and the report of an investigator was sought. It was urged that the final
survey report did not arrive at a position at variance with the conclusion
of the earlier reports. Hence, this is not a case where the insurer has
appointed a succession of surveyors merely for the purpose of obtaining
a favourable opinion. On the contrary, all the reports which had been
submitted to the insurer are consistent. This Court has in the above
D
judgment clarified that there is no prohibition per se on more than one
surveyor being appointed, though this cannot be done as a matter of
routine only to obtain a favourable opinion.
8. On the other hand supporting the judgment of the NCDRC,
Ms K Radha, learned counsel appearing on behalf of the respondent
E submitted that the survey reports which were obtained by the insurer
were after a considerable lapse of time. The delay which has taken
place in the submission of the reports would substantially dilute their
evidentiary value. Hence, it was urged that the NCDRC had taken a
cogent view of the matter in affirming the claim of the insured in terms
F of the three insurance policies.
9. The rival submissions fall for consideration.
10. In order to adjudicate upon the dispute, it is relevant to refer to
Section 64- UM(2) of the Insurance Act 1938:
G “64-UM. (2) No claim in respect of a loss which has occurred in
India and requiring to be paid or settled in India equal to or
exceeding twenty thousand rupees in value on any policy of
insurance, arising or intimated to an insurer at any time after the
expiry of a period of one year from the commencement of the
4
H (2009) 8 SCC 507
THE NEW INDIA ASSURANCE CO. LTD. v. SRI BUCHIYYAMMA 557
RICE MILL & ANR. [DR. DHANANJAYA Y CHANDRACHUD, J.]
Insurance (Amendment) Act, 1968, shall, unless otherwise directed A
by the Authority, be admitted for payment or settled by the insurer
unless he has obtained a report, on the loss that has occurred,
from a person who holds a licence issued under this section to
act as a surveyor or loss assessor (hereafter referred to as
‘approved surveyor or loss assessor’):
B
Provided that nothing in this sub-section shall be deemed to take
away or abridge the right of the insurer to pay or settle any claim
at any amount different from the amount assessed by the approved
surveyor or loss assessor.
(3) The Authority may, at any time, in respect of any claim of the C
nature referred to in sub-section (2), call for an independent report
from any other approved surveyor or loss assessor specified by
him and such surveyor or loss assessor shall furnish such report
to the Authority within such time as may be specified by the
Authority or if no time-limit has been specified by him within a
reasonable time and the cost of, or incidental to, such report shall D
be borne by the insurer.
(4) The Authority may, on receipt of a report referred to in sub-
section (3), issue such directions as he may consider necessary
with regard to the settlement of the claim including any direction
to settle a claim at a figure less than, or more than, that at which E
it is proposed to settle it or it was settled and the insurer shall be
bound to comply with such directions:
Provided that where the Authority issues a direction for
settling a claim at a figure lower than that at which it has already
been settled, the insurer shall be deemed to comply with such F
direction if he satisfies the Authority that all reasonable steps,
with due regard to the question whether the expenditure involved
is not disproportionate to the amount required to be recovered,
have been taken with due dispatch by him:
Provided further that no direction for the payment of a lesser sum G
shall be made where the amount of the claim has already been
paid and the Authority is of opinion that the recovery of the amount
paid in excess would cause undue hardship to the insured:
Provided also that nothing in this section shall relieve the insurer
from any liability, civil or criminal, to which he would have been H
subject but for the provisions of this sub-section.”
558 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2020] 3 S.C.R.
A 11. Section 64 UM (1) of the Insurance Act 1938, speaks of
licensing of surveyors and loss assessors. In the present case, we are
not concerned with sub-section (1). Sub-section (2) mandates that no
claim in respect of a loss which has occurred in India and requiring to be
paid in an amount equal to or exceeding Rs 20,000 in value on any
policy of insurance shall be admitted for payment, unless the insurer
B
obtains a report of a surveyor or loss assessor who holds a license
issued under sub-section (1) of Section 64 UM. Sub-section (3) empowers
IRDA with the power to obtain an independent report from any other
surveyor in respect of a claim of the nature referred to in sub-
section (2). Sub-section (4) envisages that the regulatory authority
C may issue such directions as it may consider necessary on receipt of
the report referred to in sub-section (3). The proviso to sub-section (2)
reserves to the insurer the right to pay or settle the claim for an amount
different from the amount assessed by the surveyor or loss assessor.
12. The impugned judgment of the NCDRC has incorrectly
D analysed the basis by the insurer for the appointment of surveyors for
the purpose of inspection and assessment. The record to which we have
adverted to earlier would indicate that immediately upon receipt of an
intimation of the incident, the insurer initially appointed a surveyor to
submit a preliminary survey report. The inspection was carried out on
19 April 2005 close on the heels of the incident. The report of the
E preliminary surveyor found serious anomalies in the claim of the insured
in regard to the genesis of the incident. It was on the suggestion of the
surveyor that the appellant obtained an opinion from a structural expert
from the Department of Civil Engineering, Andhra University College
of Engineering. The insurer thereafter proceeded to obtain the opinion
F of an investigator on 8 December 2006, and eventually, a final survey
report was submitted on 29 June 2007. The purpose of the final survey
was to determine, on the basis of the material which had emerged during
the course of an inspection the cause of the incident, and to assess the
extent of damage and loss.
G 13. In Sri Venkateswara Syndicate (supra), the issue before
this Court was whether the insurer can appoint successive surveyors
for getting the loss and damage assessed before settling the claim of the
insured. The two judge Bench while explaining the purpose of a report
of the surveyor observed thus:
H
THE NEW INDIA ASSURANCE CO. LTD. v. SRI BUCHIYYAMMA 559
RICE MILL & ANR. [DR. DHANANJAYA Y CHANDRACHUD, J.]
“31. The assessment of loss, claim settlement and relevance of A
survey report depends on various factors. Whenever a loss is
reported by the insured, a loss adjuster, popularly known as
loss surveyor, is deputed who assesses the loss and issues
report known as surveyor report which forms the basis for
consideration or otherwise of the claim. Surveyors are
B
appointed under the statutory provisions and they are the link
between the insurer and the insured when the question of
settlement of loss or damage arises. The report of the
surveyor could become the basis for settlement of a
claim by the insurer in respect of the loss suffered by the
insured.” C
(Emphasis supplied)
This Court held that the report of a surveyor must be given due
importance and that there should be sufficient grounds for explaining
a disagreement with an assessment made by a report of the surveyor.
Yet at the same time, under Section 64-UM(2) of the Insurance Act D
1938, it is not open to the insurer to merely appoint a succession of
surveyors with a view to obtain a tailor-made report. It is open to the
insurer to appoint another surveyor for valid reasons bearing
on the deficiencies found in the survey report and the reasons which
must be indicated by the insurer. In this backdrop, the two judge Bench E
while holding that there is no absolute prohibition on the insurer appointing
more than one surveyor observed thus:
33. Scheme of Section 64-UM, particularly of sub-sections
(2), (3) and (4) would show that the insurer cannot appoint a
second surveyor just as a matter of course. If for any valid reason F
the report of the surveyor is not acceptable to the insurer
may be for the reason if there are inherent defects, if it is
found to be arbitrary, excessive, exaggerated, etc., it must
specify cogent reasons, without which it is not free to
appoint the second surveyor or surveyors till it gets a report
which would satisfy its interest. Alternatively, it can be stated G
that there must be sufficient ground to disagree with the
findings of surveyor/surveyors. There is no prohibition in
the Insurance Act for appointment of second surveyor by
the insurance company, but while doing so, the insurance
company has to give satisfactory reasons for not accepting H
560 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [2020] 3 S.C.R.
A the report of the first surveyor and the need to appoint
second surveyor.”
...
“35. In our considered view, the Insurance Act only mandates
that while settling a claim, assistance of a surveyor should be
B taken but it does not go further and say that the insurer would be
bound by whatever the surveyor has assessed or quantified; if
for any reason, the insurer is of the view that certain
material facts ought to have been taken into consideration
while framing a report by the surveyor and if it is not done,
C it can certainly depute another surveyor for the purpose
of conducting a fresh survey to estimate the loss suffered
by the insured.”
(Emphasis supplied)
14. While determining whether the appointment of a second or
D successive surveyor is justified, one must take into consideration the
necessity of doing so and it must be weighed in the context of relevant
facts and circumstances including the deficiencies or omissions in the
report of the first surveyor. Each case must be independently considered
based on relevant facts and circumstances. There ought to be cogent
E reasons for appointing a second surveyor.
15. At this point, we may take note of a two judge Bench decision
of this Court in New India Assurance Company Limited v Protection
Manufacturers Private Limited5, where a submission was made that
under Section 64-UM of the Insurance Act 1938, prior to the appointment
F of a subsequent surveyor, the insurer ought to have gone to the Regulatory
Authority and under sub-section (3), it was for the Regulatory Authority
to call for an independent report from any other surveyor. It was
argued that the subsequent report of the surveyor must be disregarded
on the above ground. This Court made a passing reference to the
submission and accepted the contention. However, the facts of the above
G case are distinguishable from the present case. In the above case, the
insurance company appointed another surveyor, who based on a cursory
investigation determined the damages suffered by the insured in an amount
close to the assessment made out by the insurer. This Court disregarded
the subsequent report describing it as a tailor-made report, motivated
5
H 2010 7 SCC 386
THE NEW INDIA ASSURANCE CO. LTD. v. SRI BUCHIYYAMMA 561
RICE MILL & ANR. [DR. DHANANJAYA Y CHANDRACHUD, J.]
and intended to benefit the insurer. Significantly, in the present case all A
the survey reports have spoken in one voice. The theory of the insured
that the collapse of the entire boiler unit of the mill was due to
the impact of a collision with a reversing lorry is belied by the cogent
reasons which form the basis of the repudiation of the claim by the
insurer. As a matter of fact, it is significant that in the first intimation by
B
the insured of the incident, there was no reference to an alleged collision
of the boiler unit with the lorry. This fact was noticed by the SCDRC.
That apart, it is evident from the survey reports that the column section
did not contain any evidence of an impact damage that would be sustained
by collision with a lorry. The lorry had evidently suffered no damage at
all, something that would have been unlikely if there was an impact with C
the boiler unit with such a high force. These reasons were the foundation
of the order of the SCDRC.
16. In the present case, as we have noted, the process which was
followed by the insurer was not designed to obtain a report which
would adopt a position adverse to the claim of the insured. There D
exist no mala fides on part of the insurer. On the contrary, it is evident
from the record that the reports which have been relied upon maintained
a consistent line of reasoning in regard to the nature and genesis of the
incident. In this backdrop, we are of the view that the NCDRC has not
acted reasonably in overturning the considered decision of the SCDRC.
Cogent reasons were given by the SCDRC for rejecting the claim of E
deficiency of service on the part of the insurer. On the basis of the
material which has emerged from the record, we find the opinion of the
SCDRC to be correct. The view which has been taken by the NCDRC
is not consistent with the statement of legal position as contained
in the judgment of this Court in Sri Venkateswara Syndicate (supra) F
and is contrary to the material evidence on the record.
17. For the above reasons, we allow the appeal and set aside the
impugned judgment of the NCDRC dated 4 February 2019. The consumer
complaint filed by the respondent shall accordingly stand dismissed.
There shall be no order as to costs. G
Kalpana K. Tripathy Appeal allowed.
H
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