District consumer forum asks Reliance General Insurance to pay Rs 17.99 lakh to consumer

A district consumer forum here has directed Reliance General Insurance to pay around Rs 18 lakh as reimbursement for a car stolen in 2015, while finding it guilty of "deficiency of service" for rejecting the claim.

The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum asked the insurance company to pay Rs 17,99,975 to a Delhi resident Satish Kumar Singhal within 30 days.

"It is a clear cut case of deficiency in service on the part of Opposite Party (Reliance General Insurance)," a bench comprising President A S Yadav and member H C Suri said.

The forum further directed the insurance company to pay compensation of Rs 10,000 and Rs 5,000 as litigation charges.

According to the complaint, the man had purchased a Pajero Sports car which he got insured at regular intervals. It was insured with Reliance General Insurance from 2015 to 2016.

The car was stolen from his house in November 2015 and later the complainant lodged an FIR.

The complainant also lodged a claim with the insurance company for reimbursement of the price of the vehicle as per the policy which was Rs 17,99,975.

He alleged that when he had filed his claim, an investigator was appointed by the company who on the pretext of processing the claim made the complainant sign various blank forms, papers and even made him write something.

He claimed that he received a letter from the company rejecting his claim by giving him the reason that the vehicle was stolen under the circumstances that the central locking system was not functional and he had left the key in the dashboard of the vehicle, thus leaving the vehicle unattended in drivable condition.

The company alleged that there was gross negligence on the part of the complainant as he had himself stated in writing that the central locking system of the vehicle was not working properly from 3-4 days and he did not take proper security measures by changing its locks which were not functional.

The insurance company contended that intimation was not given immediately to the insurer, to which the forum observed that the most important fact in the case of theft is that intimation is to be given to the police immediately, which was done on the same day.