The Motor Vehicles Act, 1988
Chapter 11 Insurance of Motor Vehicles Against Third Party Risks
Section 163: Scheme for payment of compensation in case of hit and run motor accidents
a) The Central
Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, make a scheme1
specifying, the manner in which the scheme shall be administered by the General
Insurance Corporation, the form, manner and the time within which applications
for compensation may be made, the officers or authorities to whom such
applications may be made, the procedure to be followed by such officers or
authorities for considering and passing orders on such applications, and all
other matters connected with, or incidental to, the administration of the
scheme and the payment of compensation.
b) A scheme made under
sub-section (1) may provide that—
- a contravention of any provision thereof shall be
punishable with imprisonment for such term as may be specified but in no
case exceeding three months, or with fine which may extend to such amount
as may be specified but in no case exceeding five hundred rupees or with
both;
- the powers, functions or duties conferred or imposed on
any officer or authority by such scheme may be delegated with the prior
approval in writing of the Central Government, by such officer or
authority to any other officer or authority;
- any provision of such scheme may operate with
retrospective effect from a date not earlier than the date of
establishment of the Solatium Fund under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1939 (4
of 1939) as it stood immediately before the commencement of this Act:
Provided that no such retrospective effect shall be given so as to prejudicially affect the interests of any person who may be governed by such provision.