Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Apr 1: The district consumer court which has upheld a complaint filed by a retired professor about deficiency of service on the part of State Bank of India has passed an order in favour of the complainant. It has ordered the bank to pay interest and fine for the lapse.

Amount due to retired professor of Canara College here, H Manohar Shetty, by way of provident fund, gratuity, pension and such other emoluments which he was eligible to receive upon retirement, had been remitted to Janata Bazar branch of State Bank of India through the district treasury here. The bank credited the amount to Manohar Shetty's savings bank account after 43 days.

Shetty had approached the bank with the demand for payment of interest at 9.3 percent per annum for 43 days because of the said delay. The bank however rejected his claim. Thereafter, Shetty filed complaint in the district consumer court.

The court which examined the claim ordered payment of eight percent interest for the delayed period along with fine of Rs 20,000 to the customer. The bank appealed against this order in the state consumer court. The state consumer court too upheld the order of the district consumer court.