NEW INDIA ASSURANCE CO. vs SATPAL SINGH .

The Supreme Court upheld the decision of the High Court, which had increased the compensation awarded under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 for the death of a 10-year-old girl in a truck accident. The Court rejected the Insurance Company's argument that it should not be liable as the deceased was a gratuitous passenger, clarifying that the relevant provisions of the new Act do not contain the same exclusions as the old Act. The Court affirmed that the insurer is liable to compensate the claimants, maintaining the High Court's ruling on the quantum of compensation.