An Act to provide compensation to families for loss occasioned by the death of a person caused by actionable wrong.
Preamble .Whereas no action or suit is now maintainable in any Court against a person who, by his wrongful act, neglect or default, may have caused the death of another person, and it is often-times right and expedient that the wrong-doer in such case should be answerable in damages for the injury so caused by him; It is enacted as follows:
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY :Indian Limitation Act, 1871 (9 of 1871)
Repealing and Amending Act, 1914 (10 of 1914)
Part B States (Laws) Act, 1951 (3 of 1951)
FACT SHEET :Short title [The Indian Fatal Accidents Act, 1855].[1. Short title and extent .(1) This Act may be called The Fatal Accidents Act, 1855.
This Act is based on the Fatal Accidents Act, 1846 (9 & 10 Vict., Clause 93).
This Act has been declared to be in force in the whole of British India, except as regards the Scheduled Districts by the Laws Local Extent Act, 1874, Section 3.
It has been extended to the new Provinces and merged States by the Merged States (Laws) Act 59 of 1949 and to the States of Manipur, Tripura and Vindhya Pradesh by the Union Territories (Laws) Act 30 of 1950. Manipur and Tripura are full-fledged States now, see Act 81 of 1971. Vindhya Pradesh is a part of the State of Madhya Pradesh now, see Act 37 of 1956.
The Fatal Accidents Act, 1855 has been extended to the Union territory of Pondicherry by Act 26 of 1968 (w.e.f. 1.8.1968).
The Act has been extended to and enforced in Sikkim w.e.f. 31.12.1984, see S.O.529(E) of 1983 and S.O.982(E) of 1984.
(2) I t extends to the whole of India except the State of Jammu and Kashmir.]
[1-A]. Suit for compensation to the family of a person for loss occasioned to it by his death by actionable wrong .Whenever the death of a person shall be caused by wrongful act, neglect or default, and the act, neglect or default is such as would (if death had not ensued) have entitled the party injured to maintain an action and recover damages in respect thereof, the party who would have been liable if death had not ensued, shall be liable to an action or suit for damages, notwithstanding the death of the person injured, and although the death shall have been caused under such circumstances as amount in law to felony or other crime.
Every such action or suit shall be for the benefit of the wife, husband, parent and child, if any, of the person whose death shall have been so caused, and shall be brought by and in the name of the executor, administrator, or representative of the person deceased;
and in every such action the Court may give such damages as it may think proportioned to the loss resulting from such death to the parties respectively, for whom and for whose benefit such action shall be brought; and the amount so recovered, after deducting all costs and expenses, including the costs not recovered from the defendant, shall be divided amongst the before-mentioned parties, or any of them, in such shares as the Court by its judgment or decree shall direct.
2. Not more than one suit to be brought .Provided always that not more than one action or suit shall be brought for, and in respect of the same subject-matter of complaint.
Claim for loss to estate may be added .Provided that, in any such action or suit, the executor, administrator, or representative of the deceased may insert a claim for, and recover any pecuniary loss to the estate of the deceased occasioned by such wrongful act, neglect or default, which sum, when recovered, shall be deemed part of the assets of the estate of the deceased.
3. Plaintiff shall deliver particulars, etc .The plaint in any such action or suit shall give a full particular of the person or persons for whom, or on whose behalf, such action or suit shall be brought, and of the nature of the claim in respect of which damages shall be sought to be recovered.
4. Interpretation-clause .The following words and expressions are intended to have the meanings hereby assigned to them respectively, so far as such meanings are not excluded by the context or by the nature of the subject-matter, that is to say [- - -] the word person shall apply to bodies politic and corporate; and the word parent shall include father and [mother] and grand-father and grand-mother; and the word child shall include son and daughter and grand-son and grand-daughter and step-son and step-daughter.
COMMENTS