Senior citizen fights 3 years for 3 days’ interest

AHMEDABAD: A senior citizen in Anjar fought a legal battle for three years to claim three days’ interest amount on his National Savings Certificates (NSC) from the postal department, which was Rs 148.

Retired government official Kantilal Shah had felt extremely offended when a post office in Anjar town in the border district of Kutch refused to accept his form to purchase NSC claiming that his agent had tendered the application after NSC counter’s working hours.

The Kutch District Consumer Dispute Redressal Forum held that this was deficiency in service on part of the postal department and ordered it to pay Rs 148 to Shah towards interest amount. Besides, Shah will get compensation of Rs 500 for harassment, Rs 200 towards legal expenditure and Rs 150 for photocopying the documents, a total of Rs 998.

According to case details, on January 18, 2016, Shah had sent his agent to Anjar post office to purchase NSC worth Rs 1 lakh as he wanted to invest his savings. The agent tendered the form and a cheque issued by Shah to the clerk, who refused to accept it claiming that the time was 11.45am, and NSC counter would not accept form after 11.30am.

When Shah visited the post office he was told that the buyer himself has to tender the form. Shah’s form was accepted on January 21 and NSC was issued to him.

Shah felt offended in this process and he sued the post office stating that the behaviour of the staff was not proper and their delayed acceptance of his form caused him loss of interest on Rs 1 lakh for three days, which was Rs 148. He demanded the interest amount along with over Rs 60,000 towards compensation for harassment.

The post office objected to Shah’s complaint, but the consumer court concluded that turning away Shah on the first day and not issuing him NSC immediately was deficiency in service on part of the post office and hence it is liable to pay compensation.