Beyond the dotted line: Sign insurance proposal form after a careful read

A client, and not the insurance agent, has to ultimately bear the consequences of not revealing critical information.

Narendra Singh Rathore had purchased a life insurance policy for Rs 30 lakh from HDFC Standard Life Insurance. Rathore died of breathlessness and in a heart attack. The insurer repudiated the claim after which Rathore’s wife filed a complaint with the State Commission. In her complaint, she stated that her husband had signed the application form in good faith at the behest of the insurance agent.

The insurer argued that Rathore had concealed material information regarding the medical ailments he had been suffering from since 2008. The Commission ruled in favour of the insured, stating that hypertension and diabetes are