HC orders CB-CID probe into motor accident claim racket

Expressing shock over a "well-oiled racket" operating in the field of motor accident insurance claims, the Madras High Court today ordered a CB-CID probe into the case of three claims made for the death of a same person.

Justice P N Prakash ordered that the probe into the case, being handled by the Kancheepuram District crime branch, be handed over to the CB-CID.

He gave the directive after going through a status report filed by the CB-CID and local police officials, complying with the court's earlier order.

"It shocks the judicial conscience in as much as a well-oiled racket is operating in the field of motor accident claims jurisdiction which needs to be put down with an iron hand," Justice Prakash said.

The judge, however, said he did not want to reveal anything more from the report as investigation was on.

The case was fit to be transferred to the CB-CID to expose the racket and punish those who might be guilty of tampering with the FIR and filing of the three claim petitions, he said in his order.

The judge then directed the three tribunals, before which the claims had been filed, to hand over the original documents to the CB-CID.

Also, the judge issued notices to the advocates who filed the three petitions -- two in Chennai and one in Thiruvallur -- and asked Mohan, the son of the deceased, to appear before him on June 27 and file affidavits as to how they got certified copies of the FIRs from the police.

He was passing the interim orders on a petition by Cholamandalam MS General Insurance Company which had received summons from three Motor Accident Claims Tribunals for compensation for the death of the same person.

The judge posted the matter to June 27 for further hearing.

Mohan had died in a road accident on February 9 last year on the outskirts of the city.

The insurance company submitted that as per the police website, FIR No. 59/2017, related to the death, was treated as un-detected and closed.

However, certified copies of FIR implicating a vehicle insured with the insurance firm was issued by the jurisdictional police, indicating tampering.