Before the District Forum:Kurnool
Present: Sri K.V.H. Prasad, B.A., LL.B., President
And
Smt C.Preethi, M.A., LL.B., Member
Sri R.Ramachandra Reddy, B.Com., LL.B., Member
Thursday the 14th day of October, 2004
CD No. 67/2004
M. Suseelamma,
W/o. M.V. Subba Reddy,
Parumanchala (V),
Jupadbunglow (M)
Kurnool Dist. . . . Complainant represented by his
counsel Sri A. Prabhkar Reddy.
-Vs-
- The Managing Director,
Medinova Diagnostic Services Centre,
Regd. Office 6-3-652, ‘Kautilya’,
3rd floor, Somajiguda,
Hyderabad.
. . . Opposite party.
- The Managing ,
Medinova Diagnostic Services Centre,
Franchisee to M.S.R. Hospital,
R.S. Road, Nandyal, Kurnool Dist. . . . Opposite party.
.
O R D E R
(As per Smt C.Preethi, Member)
1. This consumer dispute case of the complainant is filed under section 12 of the C.P. Act, seeking a direction on the opposite party to pay her Rs. 7,250/- with interest at the rate of 15% per annum from the date of maturity till realization, Rs.1,000/- as compensation and Rs.1,000/- as costs of this case and any such other relief or reliefs which the complainant is entitled in the circumstances of the case.
2. The brief facts of the complainant’s case are that the complainant has deposited an amount of Rs.5,000/- from 4.12.2000 to 3.12.2003 with the opposite party for a refundable matured amount of Rs.7,250/- vide membership deposit receipt No. 00738/P. On 15.11.2003 the complainant sent the original membership deposit receipt to opposite parties through city courier service vide receipt No. 7601886670 dt 15.11.2003 for realization of maturity amount. On expiry of the maturity period inspite of several demands the opposite party did not refund the said due amount and hence the complainant got issued personal notice on 16.3.2004 to opposite parties through speed and safe courier service vide receipt No. 337942 dt 16.3.2004, and the opposite party did neither complied the demand for refund of the matured amount nor replied to the said notice. Again the complainant addressed a letter dt 13.5.2004 to the opposite parties requesting to pay the matured amount or to face dire consequence before the Forum, the said letter is sent through speed and safe courier vide receipt No. 566478 dt 13.5.2004 and there was no reply to the said letter. The above said lapsive conduct of the opposite party constrained the complainant to resort to the Forum for redressal of the claim of matured amount of Rs.7,250/-, Rs.1,000/- as compensation and Rs.1,000/- as costs of the complaint.
3. In pursuance of the receipt of the notice of this Forum as to this case of the complainant the opposite parties neither appeared before this Forum nor contested the case of the complainant filing any written version with any defence and thereby remained exparte.
4. While such is so with the opposite parties the complainant in substantiation of its case relied upon the documentary record in Ex A.1 to A.6 besides to his sworn affidavit in re-iteration of the complaint averments.
5. Hence, the point for consideration is whether the complainant had made out the case of deficiency on the part of the opposite party towards him entitling him for the reliefs sought:?
6. The Ex A.1 is the Membership Deposit Receipt No. 00738/P dt 4.12.2000. It envisages the receipt of an amount of Rs.5,000/- from the complainant on 4.12.2000 by the opposite party assuring the payment of Rs.7,250/- as the maturity amount payable on 3.12.2003. The Ex A.2 is the courier receipt of city courier services dt 15.11.2003 bearing No. 7601886670 for sending the Ex A.1. The Ex A.3 is the office copy of the personal notice dt 16.3.2004 caused on the opposite party demanding the payment of the maturity amount of the Ex A.1 to the complainant and the defaultive conduct of the opposite party in not refunding the amount so far and hence holding the opposite party liability not only to the maturity amount of Rs.7,250/- but also to the interest from the date of the maturity till the date of the payment. The Ex A.4 is courier receipt for speed and safe courier service dt 16.3.2004 bearing No. 337942 for sending Ex A.3. The Ex A.5 is the letter dt 13.5.2004 addressed by the complainant to the opposite parties requesting for payment of matured amount by 31 May 2004, other wise the matter till be placed before the Forum for refund of matured amount. The Ex A.6 is the courier receipt of speed and safe courier services dt 13.5.2004 bearing No. 566478 for sending Ex A.5. The facts so envisaged in Ex A.1 to A.6 and the complaint averments and the complainant’s sworn affidavit averments in re-iteration of its case are neither denied nor rebutted by the opposite parties and hence there appears every bonafides in the claim of the complainant.
7. When a Company or Firm invites deposits on a promise of attractive rates of interest or attractive sums it is a service and the depositor is a Consumer as per the decision of Hon’ble National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, New Delhi in Neela Vasantha Raji Vs Among Industries reported in 1993 (3) C.P.R. page 345.
8. When the among under the deposit with accrued benefit not released to the depositor by the financial institution, the said conduct of not honoring the said commitment amounts to deficiency and the Financial Institution is liable to refund the accrued amount with 12% interest as per the decision of Hon’ble Maharastra State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Mumbai in Sanchyani Savings and Investments (India) Limited Vs Vastla Baba Saheb Gai Quard reported in I( 2003) C.P.J. page 260.
9. In the present case also the opposite party’s firm inviting the public deposits on a promise of the payment of matured amount on a tenure of 3 years from the date of deposit did not kept up the said commitment to the complainant by avoiding the payment of the matured amount. Thus the said lapsive conduct of the opposite parties is amounting to deficiency of service to the complainant consumer depositor and thereby the grievances of the complainant are covered under the supra stated decisions holding the liability of the opposite party for refund of the accrued matured amount with interest at 12% per annum from the date of the maturity and compensation of Rs.1,000/- for suffered mental agony at the deficient conduct of opposite parties and costs of Rs.1,000/- as the complainant was driven by the opposite party to the Forum for redressal.
10. Therefore, in the result the complaint is allowed directing the opposite parties to pay the matured amount of Rs.7,250/- with interest at 12% per annum from the date of maturity till realization and Rs.1,000/- towards compensation for suffered mental agony at the deficient conduct of opposite parties and Rs.1,000/- towards costs within a month of the receipt of this order.
Dictated to the Stenographer, transcribed by him, corrected and pronounced in the Open bench this the 14th day of October, 2004.
PRESIDENT
MEMBER MEMBER
APPENDIX OF EVIDENCE
Witnesses Examined
For the complainant :Nil For the opposite parties :Nil
List of exhibits marked for the complainant:-
Ex A.1 Office copy member ship deposit receipt No. 00738/P issued in favour of the
complainant by opposite party No.1.
Ex A.2 Courier receipt No. 7601886670 dt 15.11.2003 in which the Ex A.1 sent to
opposite party No.1.
Ex A.3 Office copy of the letter dt 16.3.2004 addressed by complainant to opposite
party No.1.
Ex A.4 Courier receipt No. 337942 dt 16.3.2004 in which the Ex A.3 sent to
opposite party No.1.
Ex A.5 Office copy of letter dt 13.5.2004 addressed by the complainant to opposite
party No.1.
Ex A.6 Courier receipt No. 566478 dt 13.5.2004 in which the Ex A.5 sent to
opposite party No.1
List of Exhibits Marked for the opposite parties: Nil
PRESIDENT
MEMBER MEMBER
