As many as 10,46,163 motor accident claims worth Rs 80,455 crore are pending across the country and their numbers have increased constantly between 2018-19 and 2022-23, according to an information received through RTI Act.

The details have been provided by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) in response to the query filed by Supreme Court advocate K C Jain in April.

In his query to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), Jain had sought to know the total number of motor accident claims pending in the country with state- and district-wise details.

He also sought to know the annual break up of claims instituted, disposed of and remaining during the last five years and the initiatives, if any, taken by the Centre for an early disposal of the motor accident claims.

According to IRDAI's information, at the end of the financial years 2018-19, 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22, and 2022-23, the number of motor accident claims pending was 9,09,166, 9,39,160, 10,08,332, 10,39,323, and 10,46,163, respectively, with claim amounts of Rs 52,713 crore, Rs 61,051 crore, Rs 70,722 crore, Rs 74,718 crore, and Rs 80,455 crore, respectively.

On regional-level breakup of information, the IRDAI stated, "District-wise and state-wise details of motor third party claims are not available with IRDAI, as IRDAI does not collect or maintain such granular information." Citing the data, the Agra-based lawyer said the number of pending claims has been increasing year by year, and there is also a delay in the disposal of claims for the dependents of deceased and injured persons in road accidents.

The road safety activist also raised concerns over the "snail pace" of claim settlements, estimating that it takes an average four years for a victim to get financial relief.

"If we look at the pace of claim settlements, the number of pending cases at the beginning of the financial year 2022-23 was 10,39,323, and the number of new claims received this year was 4,54,944. Thus, the total number of pending claims was 14,94,267, out of which only 4,48,104 cases were settled, which was only 29 per cent of the total cases. Therefore, on average, it is estimated that it takes four years to decide a claim," he said.

In the wake of inordinate delays in adjudication of motor accident claims, Jain said he has filed an interlocutory application in the Supreme Court under writ petition (civil), demanding that considering the delay in decision and payment of compensation in road accidents, an interim payment scheme should be formulated by the central government under Section 164A of the Motor Vehicles Act so that victims can get relief.

"It is suggested that this amount be at least Rs 5,00,000 for fatal cases and Rs 2,50,000 for injury cases, as per the no-fault liability under Section 164 of the MV Act," he added.

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