Oriental Insurance Company Limited To Pay Rs. 3 Lakh To Shopowner

Patiala: The district consumer disputes redressal forum has directed the Oriental Insurance Company Limited (OICL) to pmake a payment of around Rs. 3 lakh to Sant Gopal Singh, the owner of Bassi Pathana-based Bhola Tyre Service, with 6 per cent interest from the day of lodging the complaint (December 12, 2007) till its realization, together with Rs. 5,000 as lawsuit charges.

Sant Gopal Singh had lodged a complaint for the second time before the forum. His initial grievance got rejected by the forum on May 19, 2008, on the reason that detailed proof was needed to decide the complaint and the forum had no authority.

The complainant then lodged a plea against the verdict in state commission that in its order of October 19, 2012 remanded back the complaint to settle on merit. After the state commission’s verdict, the complainant again registered the complaint before Fatehgarh Sahib-based consumer forum.

About complaint

The complainant had insured the articles lying in his shop on August 8, 2005, for a sum of Rs. 3 lakh and paid Rs. 1,289 as premium to the OICL and the policy was valid from August 9, 2005 to August 8, 2006. On June 3, 2006, a few individuals set the shop afire and the articles in the shop got burnt. Sant filed an FIR and forwarded the data to the insurance firm, which dilly-dallied in the payment of the sum which was insured.

The forum decided the case favoring the appellant.