Hyderabad: A district consumer court on Friday, October 11, asked Sahara India to pay Rs 7 lakh along with 9 per cent interest after the firm failed to release the person’s fixed deposit.
The complaint, Raj Kumari Tiwari, submitted that she made 15 deposits in June 2012, each with a maturity value of 47,016 after eight years, with Sahara India Limited.
She stated that after June 2020, she approached the firm several times and requested the release of the amount. Tiwari alleged that the employees at the firm neglected her requests and failed to release the amount despite multiple requests.
Distressed due to ignorance, Tiwari filed a complaint against the firm with the commission in 2022 for deficiency in service and sought a refund along with compensation.
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Tiwari said she even considered the forum’s suggestion and tried to register on the Sahara Online Portal in April this year and was granted an initial refund of 10,000. However, she stated that when the claim amount is more than 50,000, depositors must submit various documents including membership number, deposit account number, Aadhar-linked mobile number, deposit certificates or passbook, and PAN card with their claim requests.
A month after submitting the documents she received a message alleging discrepancies in the documents. Tiwari tried to re-submit the claim but she couldn’t since the portal was accepting a claim of Rs 5 lakh or less.
As the trial began, the bench noticed Sahara India had not paid the dues despite repeated notices from the commission. After hearing the complainant and defendant, the court ordered that the inaction on the part of the opposite party amounts to negligence and also unfair trade practice.
It directed them to pay 7,05,240 with interest at 9 percent per annum from June 20, 2020, till the date of payment. Apart from the refund, 10,000 was awarded to the complainant towards legal costs.
