NATIONAL INSURANCE CO. LTD. vs AJIT KUMAR .

The Supreme Court ruled that under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, the insurer is liable to compensate for death or bodily injury to a person traveling as a passenger in a goods vehicle. The Court relied on its earlier decision in New India Assurance Co. Ltd. v. Satpal Singh, affirming that the liability of the insurer extends to gratuitous passengers. The Court clarified that the definitions in the new Act differ from those in the old Act, but the principle of liability remains applicable.