Bank told to pay Rs 7 lakh to customer for deficient service

A consumer forum has asked United Bank of India to pay Rs 7 lakh to a customer for deficiency in service.
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum ruled that the bank had negligently paid the amount to a person who was carrying self cheques of the account holder with forged signatures.
The forum also directed the bank to pay a compensation of Rs 22,000 to the account holder.
The complainant, Uday Charan Patel, has a saving account in Raigarh branch of the bank.
After coming to know that somebody had withdrawn Rs 7 lakh from his account on February 28, 2013 with his self cheque bearing forged signature, he lodged a complaint with the regional office of the bank and Kotwali police, his lawyer M S Rath said.

A few months later, he filed a petition against the bank at the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum under the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, he said.

The complainant's lawyer argued that there was no question of withdrawing Rs 7 lakh on February 28, 2013 when Uday had deposited Rs 2 lakh a day before on February 27 in his account.
He further contended that a new cheque book of the account holder was issued to Manas Ranjan Patel- a relative of Uday without consulting with the customer in spite of the fact that the old cheque book was yet to be completely used.

The money was withdrawn from the newly issued cheque book with forged signature, he said.
After hearing, the Chairman of the forum, Sanmaan Singh and member Subhash Pandey on Wednesday held the bank guilty of deficient services and asked to pay Rs 22,000 compensation apart from Rs 7 lakh, the amount withdrawn through forged signature, to the complainant.