Navsari (Gujarat), Jun 25 A consumer commission in Gujarat’s Navsari has directed an insurance company to pay Rs 1.25 lakh along with interest and compensation to a policyholder after it apparently outrightly denied his motor insurance claim.
In an order dated May 15, a copy of which was recently made available, the Navsari Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission held that the insurance company was not justified in completely rejecting the claim, even though no proof of accident had been provided.
Complainant and policyholder Chirag Desai, a resident of Navsari, claimed that his car was involved in an accident with a truck near Valthan-Punagam chowkdi in Surat on June 20, 2023, as per the order.
The insurance company argued that the complainant’s version of events, the accident location, and the injuries allegedly suffered by the car driver were not “mutually consistent”.
The panel noted that the complainant had not presented details like the registration number of the truck, the name and mobile number of its driver as evidence.
“The complainant could not prove that his vehicle had been involved in an accident. However, it is evident that the vehicle was involved in an accident of some kind and sustained damage as a result,” the commission said.
The commission concluded that the insurance company was not justified in completely rejecting the claim. By denying the claim in its entirety, the insurer had committed a “deficiency in service”, held the commission.
It asked the insurance company to pay the complainant Rs 1,25,895 towards damage caused to the vehicle due to the accident, together with interest at the rate of 9 per cent per annum from the date of filing of the complaint, within 30 days from the order date.
The insurance company shall additionally pay Rs 15,000 to the complainant towards compensation for physical and mental harassment and litigation expenses, the order said.
