Overview

• The top court refused to interfere with the Karnataka High Court’s November 23, 2024 judgment, ending the legal battle over an ₹80 lakh claim by the family of N. S. Ravisha, who died in a 2014 crash.
• Justices P. S. Narasimha and R. Mahadevan applied the self-tortfeasor doctrine, which excludes compensation when a driver’s own negligence is the sole cause of their death.
• Ravisha lost control of his Fiat Linea near Mylanahalli Gate while speeding from Mallasandra to Arasikere, and a police chargesheet cited his reckless driving as the accident’s root cause.
• The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal and Karnataka High Court had previously dismissed the family’s contention that a tyre burst, not driver error, caused the crash.
• Legal experts say the verdict underscores insurers’ rights to enforce policy exclusions and highlights the need for motorists to understand the limits of their coverage.