"I have seen HIN232 (intersil) surviving even 12V"

The datasheet absolute maxima are the limits at which the manufacturer guarantees that the device will not be damaged - of course, you may get lucky with a particular part in particular circumstances - but there is no guarantee that you'd get away with it again...

I only want to add, that 'absolute maximum ratings' are specified for full operating temperature range. And it's clear, that at high temperatures overrating can be even more destructive than at room temperature. Concretely spoken, Sanjeev, if you would have applied +12V while having 70°C ambient temperature instead of room temperature, your chip won't have survived, very probably.

Good luck,
Kai