Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru

Mangaluru, Jan 7: The Dakshina Kannada district consumer court has directed Shriram General Insurance Company to pay full compensation, including the vehicle’s value, penalty, court fees, and interest, in a vehicle theft insurance claim dispute.

Santappa U, a resident of Mangaluru, owns a goods tempo vehicle bearing registration number KA 19 AD 3058. On the evening of December 26, 2023, after completing work, he parked the vehicle at Padil. The next morning, he discovered the vehicle missing. Despite filing a police complaint and conducting a thorough search, the vehicle was not recovered.

Santappa submitted all necessary documents and a claim to the insurance company to receive the insured amount for the stolen vehicle. However, Shriram General Insurance rejected the claim, citing an unnecessary reason that the vehicle did not have a valid fitness certificate at the time of theft.

Upon careful examination of the complaint, the district consumer court ruled that the vehicle had been parked after daily operations and was not in running condition. Therefore, the absence of a fitness certificate was irrelevant to the theft or the rejection of the claim. The court held that the insurance company displayed deficiency in service by denying the rightful claim.

Accordingly, the court ordered the insurance company to pay the vehicle’s insured value, a penalty of Rs 20,000, Rs 10,000 as court costs, and interest at 6% per annum.

Advocate Anil Kumar K represented the complainant during the proceedings.