The District Consumer Grievance Redressal Commission has pulled up the State Bank of India (SBI) for denying a legitimate insurance claim under the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) to the family of an accident victim. The Commission directed the bank to pay ₹2 lakh as the insurance amount with 9% interest from March 19, 2022, along with ₹2.20 lakh as compensation for mental and physical harassment and litigation costs.
The complaint was filed by Lekhraj Dhiman and his two children following the death of his wife, Maya Dhiman, in an accident on March 11, 2019. Maya held a savings account at SBI’s Kamptee branch, from which a premium of ₹12 had been deducted towards PMSBY coverage.
Despite the valid policy being in force, the bank failed to release the insurance amount after the family submitted the claim. The case was heard by Commission Chairman Sachin Shimpi and member Balkrishna Chaudhary, who ruled in favour of the complainants.
The Commission had earlier issued a notice to SBI seeking its response, but the bank neither appeared nor submitted a reply. Consequently, the Commission proceeded ex parte and passed the order against the bank.
👉 Click here to read the latest Gujarat news on TheLiveAhmedabad.com