Consumer forum orders LIC to pay Rs 21 lakh to complainant
The policy had a term of 20 years, with a plan to return the full amount on the 21st year, according to the complainant.
In June 2022, the applicant's daughter suffered from a severe fever and was treated at a hospital in Udupi. She recovered but suffered from fever again, and despite treatment, she passed away on Feb 18, 2023, at a hospital in Manipal. Born in 2015, in Udupi, the child was healthy at birth with no health issues, and the applicant had paid three annual premiums by the time of her death.
After her passing, the applicant submitted all necessary documents to the Udupi LIC office, seeking an insurance claim of Rs 25 lakh. However, the insurance company rejected the claim on April 4, 2024, alleging undisclosed pre-existing health issues at birth, and refunded only Rs 3,96,911, the amount paid in premiums.
The applicant then appealed to the Insurance Ombudsman in Bengaluru but the outcome there was also not favourable. Subsequently, a complaint was filed against LIC with Udupi district consumer disputes redressal commission. The commission president Sunil T Masaraddi and member Sujata B Koralli ruled in favour of the applicant, ordering LIC to pay Rs 21,03,089 with 9% interest, along with Rs 25,000 for mental agony and harassment, and Rs 10,000 for litigation costs, stated advocates H Anand Madivala and Deepak Kumar Poojari, who represented the applicant.
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