Tarikh pe Tarikh- The Reality of Consumer Cases

Consumer Protection Act, 2019 (CP Act) was enacted to provide speedy justice to consumers, within 3-5 months as far as possible. Consumer Commissions have been vested with the power to grant punitive damages, including withdrawal of the hazardous goods from being offered for sale; to cease manufacture of hazardous goods etc. There are many more such provisions for misleading advertisements, product liability, product recall etc, which provide sufficient teeth to Consumer Commissions. A case study, collected during visit to District Consumer Commission, Panchkula on 24 November, 2025, is briefly shared below.
Case Study of Rejection of Health Insurance Claim
Case No 383 of 2020
Filed on 11/12/2020
Disposal on 27/10/2025
District Consumer Commission, Panchkula
(Time taken in disposal: nearly 5 years)

The complainant, Shri Narinder Kumar Bansal had taken a health insurance policy from Religare Health Insurance Co Ltd on 04.01.2018. He had duly declared, at the time of taking the policy, that he was suffering from diabetes. The insurance company also subjected him to detailed medical test, before issuing the policy. During the currency of the policy, on 10.12.2019, the complainant had to be admitted to the Fortis Hospital, Mohali due to a sudden heart attack. The request for cashless treatment, sent by the hospital, was declined by the insurance company, stating the reason as ‘4 years waiting period is applicable for pre-existing disease and its related complications.’ The District Consumer Commission, Panchkula felt convinced that no co-relation has been established between pre-existing diabetes and sudden heart attack, for which he was taken to the emergency of the hospital and then was admitted and underwent coronary angiography, PTCA-Stent to RCA etc on 11.12.2019. While acknowledging that this is a case of gross deficiency in service on the part of the insurance company and that the complainant has gone through immense mental agony and financial hardship, the Consumer Commission ordered the insurance company to pay Rs 4,99,531/-, being the amount payable under the policy along with interest @6.5%, Rs 20,000/- for mental harassment and Rs 5,500/- to meet the cost of litigation.
In the true spirit of the CP Act, hefty punitive damages could have been imposed on the company, for harassing legitimate policy holders on one excuse or the other.
(Source: Consumers India) more