Not Having Valid Fitness Certificate For Vehicle Is Ground For Insurance Claim Repudiation: NCDRC

The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, chaired by Dr. Inder Jit Singh, ruled that a transport vehicle lacking a fitness certificate cannot be considered validly registered under Section 56 of the Motor Vehicle Act, 1988. Thus, an insurer has valid grounds to repudiate a claim based on this breach of policy conditions. \r

Referring to legal precedents, including Supreme Court rulings, the Commission emphasized that operating a vehicle without proper registration constitutes a fundamental breach of insurance terms. It set aside previous decisions by lower commissions and dismissed the revision petition, concluding that the insurer was not at fault in denying the claim.