While asking the insurance firm to pay Rs 11.23 lakh to complainant Gaurav Gupta, the New Delhi District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum said his claim had been denied by the company "deliberately" to harass him.
"Opposite party (New India Assurance) has deliberately and arbitrarily denied the claim which is totally in violation of law of justice and was to harass the consumer and to deprive him of his hard earned money duly financed by financier.
"Opposite party is directed to pay Rs 9,73,750. We also award Rs 1,50,000 as compensation for harassment and cost of litigation, in which Rs 50,000 should be deducted from the salary of claim manager who deliberately repudiated the claim without any evidence of record except imaginary speculation," said the bench presided by C K Chaturvedi.
In his complaint, Najafgarh resident Gupta had submitted that his TATA truck insured with the company for the period from May 16, 2006 to May 15, 2007 was stolen on the July 19-20, 2006 night and he had lodged the FIR on July 25, 2006.
He had said that despite providing all the relevant documents, including copies of the FIR and the untraceable report, the company had rejected his claim.
The New India Assurance in its written statement had contended that it had rejected the claim as the FIR was lodged seven days after the theft.
The forum, however, rejected the insurance company's contention saying, "the surveyor has noted that police was informed immediately."
