Eight years after woman’s death,husband to receive insurance claim

When Sharanjit Kaur died in October,2001,the company repudiated the insurance claim on grounds that Sharanjit Kaur had undergone caesarian earlier too,and that she died due to pregnancy-related complications.

The company alleged that she had hidden this fact while filling the proposal form and therefore the complainant was not entitled to any claim.

After the Amritsar district forum dismissed the complaint,Lal filed an appeal in the Punjab State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission.

Headed by Justice S N Aggarwal,the commission held: “The caesarian operation was not a material fact,the suppression of which would have entitled the company to repudiate the claim. In every 100 delivery cases,nearly 40 per cent are caesarian. It cannot be equated with a serious or fatal disease. It was by chance that Sharanjit Kaur died while undergoing the second delivery.”

Failing to pay accident claim,consumer forum pulls up insurance company
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has directed the United Insurance Company to pay Rs 26,534 as insurance claim to a car owner,whose vehicle was completely damaged in an accident.

The company has also been directed to pay Rs 5,000 as costs of litigation.

The complainant,Hardeep Singh Rana,said in his complaint that he had purchased a second-hand Maruti Wagon R LX car (HR-06-K-8533) from one Ragvinder Singh. While he got the said vehicle insured with United Insurance for Rs 2 lakh on May 28,2007,the car was damaged in an accident in October the same year. Even after the complainant paid Rs 1,100 to the surveyor,he said he was not issued any receipt.

According to the complainant,the estimate cost of repair of the said vehicle was more than Rs 3,25,000 but he was later issued Rs 97,966 (Rs 95,500 towards insurance claim,Rs 1,500 as toeing charges and Rs 966 as surveyor fee).

While he accepted the said cheque,the complainant later moved the forum as his vehicle was totally damaged. In its reply,the company pleaded that the delay in settling the claim occurred as the complainant could not get the car transferred in his own name. The claim assessed by the surveyor was Rs 97,000,said the company. The forum said that the company should have paid the compensation of Rs 1,24,500 on a total loss basis. “Of this amount,they have already paid Rs 97,966. So,the complainant is now entitled to a further amount of Rs 26,534.”ENS