New Delhi, Oct 30 The Delhi State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has directed Union Bank of India to pay Rs 47 lakh for jewellery that allegedly went missing from a locker jointly held by a woman and her deceased father-in-law, saying the bank failed to produce evidence of the locker's surrender.
A bench presided over by Commission President Sangita Dhingra Sehgal and judicial member Bimla Kumari was hearing a complaint petition filed by Monica Marwah against the bank alleging that her jewellery worth Rs 47 lakh went missing from the bank locker.
In an order dated October 27, the commission said, "There is no receipt of the items in the locker of the complainant and her deceased father-in-law provided by the opposite Party (bank) at the time of the alleged surrender of the said locker."
The commission also directed the bank to pay six per cent annual interest on the amount from September 1, 2018, till October 27, 2026, along with Rs 3 lakh as compensation for mental agony and harassment and Rs 50,000 towards litigation costs.
The commission said the bank had also failed to provide any receipt for the belongings allegedly handed over at the time of the purported surrender.
"Therefore, it is clear that the belongings of the complainant were misappropriated by the opposite party, and that the complainant had never surrendered her locker facility," the commission said.
According to the complaint, the woman held a joint locker with her father-in-law since 1998. After his death in August 2010, the bank continued charging locker rent until 2013, she alleged.
When she approached the bank on September 1, 2018, to access the locker, she was informed that it had been surrendered on January 22, 2015. The woman disputed the claim and alleged that jewellery worth Rs 47 lakh was missing.
In its defence, the bank claimed that the locker had been surrendered on May 21, 2005, and said the locker fee was debited due to a bona fide mistake. It denied any deficiency in service and challenged the commission's jurisdiction to hear the complaint.
Rejecting the bank's objections, the commission noted that the compensation claimed fell within its pecuniary jurisdiction and that the bank's branch was located in Delhi.
The commission directed the bank to pay the amount with six per cent annual interest if the payment is made by December 27, 2026. In case of default, the amount will carry nine per cent annual interest from September 1, 2018, until actual payment.
