| schema:text
| - Fact Check: Is pollution control certificate mandatory for motor insurance claim?
In what reportedly created panic among citizens in the country, a viral claim on social media says that if the validity of a vehicle's pollution under control (PUC) certificate is expired during the time of an accident, the insurance firms will not cover any damages.
Listen to Story
India Today Fact Check
The IRDAI circular to insurance companies only made PUC certificate mandatory for insurance renewal in India.
In what reportedly created panic among citizens in the country, a viral claim on social media says that if the validity of a vehicle’s pollution under control (PUC) certificate is expired during the time of an accident, the insurance firms will not cover any damages. According to claims, the order was issued by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) on August 20, 2020.
One such claim posted on Facebook with an IRDAI circular reads, “Please be informed that for all insurance claims valid *pollution certificate* is mandatory. If the vehicle's pollution certificate validity is expired during the time of accident insurance companies will not cover the accident damages hereafter *20th August 2020*.”
PUC certification determines if a vehicle's smoke emission level meets pollution control standards set by the Indian government.
India Today Anti Fake News War Room (AFWA) has found that the claim is misleading. IRDAI did not issue a circular saying insurance companies will not cover accident damages to a vehicle if the validity of the PUC certificate is expired at the time of the accident.
The archived versions of similar claims can be seen here, here, and here.
AFWA probe
IRDAI issued a new circular on August 20, 2020, to insurance providers in India directing them to obtain valid PUC certificate for a vehicle while renewing the insurance policy. This circular is available on IRDAI’s official website.
We also came to understand that the same circular is making rounds on social media with the viral claim.
However, the circular does not mention the non-payment of a claim amount for damaged vehicles with expired PUC certificates.
We also found media reports regarding the IRDAI’s circular.
According to these reports, this circular was only reasserting a Supreme Court direction of 2018 which stated that insurers must not renew motor policies until vehicle owners provide a valid PUC certificate.
The official Facebook page of the Motor Vehicle Department (MVD) of the Kerala government has also dismissed the viral claim calling it a misinterpretation of the IRDAI circular.
The statement by MVD reads, “The claim that insurance companies will not cover the accident damages if the validity of vehicles’ pollution certificate is expired during the time of the accident is false. If a person is given policy by an insurance company, it means that the policyholder has a valid PUC on the day the policy starts.
The company cannot deny insurance later. However, it is the responsibility of the citizens to keep the PUC always renewed.”
Hence, the IRDAI circular to insurance companies only made PUC certificate mandatory for insurance renewal.
Please share it on our at 73 7000 7000
You can also send us an email at factcheck@intoday.com
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)
![[cxml]](/fct/images/cxml_doc.png)
![[csv]](/fct/images/csv_doc.png)
![[text]](/fct/images/ntriples_doc.png)
![[turtle]](/fct/images/n3turtle_doc.png)
![[ld+json]](/fct/images/jsonld_doc.png)
![[rdf+json]](/fct/images/json_doc.png)
![[rdf+xml]](/fct/images/xml_doc.png)
![[atom+xml]](/fct/images/atom_doc.png)
![[html]](/fct/images/html_doc.png)