A successful insurance claim culminates in giving of discharge voucher to the insurer by the insured unless it was obtained through fraud or undue influence held the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) in Deepak Electronics & Gift Corner Raipur vs The New India Assurance Co. Ltd .

There was a burglary in the electronics shop of the appellant. He had an insurance cover for Rs 20 lakh. The surveyor assessed the loss at around Rs 8 lakh as against the claim made of Rs 14 lakh.

The appellant, however, accepted the settlement amount of Rs 8 lakh and signed a discharge voucher accordingly. Later he went on appeal to claim the balance as well as compensation for mental agony of Rs 5 lakh, which found resonance with the District Consumer Forum. But on appeal by the insurer, the State Commission upturned the verdict.

Aggrieved, the appellant presented his case before the NCDRC which upheld the State Forum’s stand on the ground that the appellant had not made out a case of fraud or undue influence on the part of the insured in obtaining the discharge voucher.

(The author is a New Delhi-based chartered accountant.)

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