ICICI to compensate for wrongly claiming Rs 1.19l

The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum (Central) has directed the ICICI bank to compensate a customer for wrongly claiming amount of Rs 1,19,000 and lien over his savings bank account to recover alleged unpaid outstanding dues.

"It is a case of deficiency of service on the part of the ICICI bank," the forum bench, comprising president B B Choudhary and member M Siddiqui, said while directing the bank to pay compensation of Rs 15,000 to Delhi-resident Satish Kumar.

The ICICI bank accused him of spending money to the tune of Rs 1.19 lakh by using platinum credit card but Kumar denied the allegations, saying that he had never received the said card.

"The bank shall pay to Kumar a sum of Rs 15,000 as compensation for mental agony and harassment," the forum said after perusing evidence produced by Kumar in his defence. Raising the bill of Rs 1.19 lakh and insisting on Kumar to make the payment and then holding the lien over the savings bank account of the account holder amounted to deficiency of service, it said.

"In view of the oral and documentary evidence of Kumar, we are of the view that the platinum card was not received by the complainant and as such he could not have used it," the forum said.

Kumar had approached the forum seeking Rs 200,000 towards his physical harassment and mental agony from the ICICI Bank.