Indore (Madhya Pradesh): The consumer court has directed a bank to pay Rs 80k for mental trauma caused to the customer apart from Rs 14k that the customer was trying to withdraw, plus interest. All this has to be paid within a month. Complainant Harish Soni opened a savings account in a bank where he regularly deposited money.
On February 11, 2022, Soni went to a local ATM at Musakhedi where he tried to withdraw money from his savings account. He tried to withdraw Rs 8k but the ATM did not give him the money. Later, he tried to withdraw Rs 6k but the result was the same. As soon as Soni stepped out of the ATM, he received a message from the bank that Rs 14k had been deducted from his account. He immediately called the bank’s toll-free number to ask for help and the help desk assured him that he will be receiving his money back within 2-3 working days.
However, Soni did not receive the money back even after a month. He then approached the Banking Ombudsman on March 20, 2022, where he was again assured that he would receive his money back. Months later, when he did not receive any money or response to his complaints, he reached out to consumer court. When asked to present their case, the bank did not provide any evidence.
Later, the bank also refused to provide any CCTV footage to the court stating that the cameras were under maintenance. The court passed a judgement where the bank must return the initial amount of Rs 14k along with interest of 6 per cent per annum. In addition, the bank has been directed to pay Rs 80k to the complainant as compensation for mental and physical agony.
