A Learner’s Licence Is Not Automatically As Good As A Full One For Insurance: Karnataka High Court Frees Insurer But Orders It To Pay And Recover In Child’s Death

A four-year-old was killed by a car driven by a man holding only a learner’s licence, who could not prove he was accompanied by an instructor or that the vehicle displayed an ‘L’ plate. The Karnataka High Court held that this breach of Rule 3 of the CMV Rules absolved the insurer of liability, but directed it to pay the compensation to the bereaved parents and recover it from the owner-driver.