Coimbatore: The Tirupur district consumer disputes redressal commission has directed an insurance firm to pay Rs2 lakh with 12% annual interest to a city resident for his stolen car.
According to an official source, P P Premkumar Rathinam of Edyarpalayam, insured his car for the period from February 22, 2011 to February 21, 2012. "On May 31, 2011, his car was stolen from outside his house. He lodged a complaint with the Thudiyalur police and informed the insurance firm the same day. He later submitted all required documents to process his claim."
Despite repeated follow-ups, the insurance firm did not respond. It later demanded a ‘not traceable certificate' from police to process the claim. However, police declined to issue the certificate, citing ongoing investigations. Although one of the thieves was arrested, the car could not be recovered as it was sold to third parties in Karnataka.
Rathinam learned in 2017 that the arrested person was convicted, while the car remained untraceable. He provided the insurance firm with the court's final order, but the claim was still denied.
The commission, presided over by S Deepa and members S Baskar and A S Rathinasamy, held that the insurer's demand for the certificate, despite receiving sufficient evidence and documents, constituted a deficiency in service. The commission ordered the insurance firm to pay Rathinam Rs2 lakh with 12% annual interest from 2017, along with a compensation of Rs10,000 and another Rs5,000 towards litigation costs.