Insurance firm asked to pay over Rs 4.5 L for damaged bus

A consumer forum here has asked an insurance firm to pay over Rs 4.5 lakh to a woman for damage of her husband's bus observing that the company has failed to prove that driver was carrying a fake driving licence.
A bench of New Delhi District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, presided by C K Chaturvedi, asked HDFC ERGO General Insurance Co Ltd to pay Rs 4,53,242 to Saraswati Devi, whose husband's bus had met with an accident in Uttar Pradesh in June 2012.
In its order, the forum noted that the insurance firm had failed to prove its claim that the bus driver was carrying fake licence at the time of accident.

"We find no reason at this stage to give more time to the firm as it had already take much time and this case already pending for last three years.
"We hold that the firm has failed to show justified ground to say the licence is fake and, therefore, we hold the firm guilty of deficiency and repudiate the claim and direct (it) to pay Rs 4,53,242...," it said.
Devi had told the forum that the bus owned by his husband, who is now dead, was insured with the firm and it met with an accident in June 2012 in Muzaffar Nagar in Uttar Pradesh and they had to pay Rs 4,53,242 to get it repaired.

She said that the firm was informed about the accident.
Devi told the forum that the firm repudiated the claim alleging that driver of the bus was not holding a valid driving licence.
Thereafter, the complainant approached the forum claiming deficiency on the part of the insurance firm saying that repudiation was on a wrong ground as driver of the bus had a valid licence.