Bhopal: District consumer forum order on Rs 3 lakh payment set aside in dengue death case

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Madhya Pradesh State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Bhopal, has set aside District Consumer Forum's order, which had asked postal department to pay Rs 3 lakh in dengue death case.

As per the order, Om Prakash Gupta had obtained Postal Life Insurance Policy on May 4, 2012. He was posted as principal in middle school in Bagaspur in Narsinghpur district.

He died due to dengue in Nagpur while undergoing treatment on September 21, 2012. Wife and son submitted claim to postal department, which rejected the case on April 11, 2014, for furnishing false information and breach of Section 39 of Postal Office Insurance Rules, 2011, by suppressing facts regarding medical leave.

The family members moved Narsinghpur District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, which issued order to postal department to pay Rs 3 lakh to Gupta family with 6% interest rate from date of filing complaint. Postal department appealed to Madhya Pradesh State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Bhopal.

Advocate Rajiv Jain who appeared on behalf of postal department, argued that claimant had obtained medical leave from June 20, 2011 to June 25, 2011. However, he mentioned ‘Nil’ in column 16-d regarding personal history.

Certificate indicated that he was not absent from workplace on health ground in last three years. “So, statement made by him while obtaining insurance policy of postal department, is false,” Jain added.

Rajiv Acharya, counsel for Gupta family, said, “Insurance form is filled by agent not by claimant so he was not aware about insurance policy terms and condition.”