Consumer forum directs bank,insurance co to pay claim to woman

The District Consumer Redressal Forum here has directed ICICI Bank and ICICI Lombard General Insurance company to pay Rs 35,000 as compensation along with the claim amount to the complainant in a motor accident claim case of 2007.
In their order delivered on December 8, president of the forum M Y Mankar and members Madhuri Vishwarupe and N D Kadam directed ICICI bank and its insurance arm to jointly pay Kusum Sharma, a resident of Airoli in Navi Mumbai, a sum of Rs 35,000 as compensation along with an insurance claim of Rs 1 lakh.
In her complaint filed in November, 2007 with the forum, Sharma said that her husband Ashok Sharma had taken a credit card from ICICI bank, which also provided a accident cover of Rs 1 lakh.

She further told the forum that her husband died in an accident in March, 2007, following which she had filed a claim with the insurance company and the bank. But, she did not get any response either from the bank or the insurance company.
The bank, in its response argued that there was no proof of the claimant was the legal heir of the deceased and that they not receive any notice from the complainant's side, which was dismissed by the forum.
The bank told the forum that the benefit of the insurance was available to the customer for a period of one year, from April 2005 to April 2006.

Forum members, however, observed that it cannot be categorically stated that the bank had given papers and policy regarding the scheme to the policy holder and informed them while withdrawing it. Hence, they were liable to pay the compensation to the complainant.