Bank loses original documents, ordered to pay Rs 6L to Thoothukudi scientist

MADURAI: Thoothukudi District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission directed a nationalised bank to pay a compensation of Rs 6.10 lakh to a complainant for misplacing original documents, sources said on Saturday.

Earlier, the complainant Panneerselvam, a scientist from Kilavipatti village, Kovilpatti of Thoothukudi district took a home loan from the nationalised bank in Tirunelveli by submitting original documents of assets as demanded by the bank.

Meanwhile, when Panneerselvam took himself off to Antarctica to pursue research, he could not settle dues in time and the banker approached his wife and insisted on the need to pay back the home loan.

-Later, he managed to settle all pending dues and asked the banker to return all those original documents. But, he’s shocked to learn that the original documents were misplaced and lost.

The frustrated complainant initially took the issue through a legal body and issued notice to the banker. As there was no response, the complainant approached the Commission for a solution.

After examining, the President of the Commission Thiruneela Prasad and its member A Sankar directed the banker to pay Rs 6 lakh as compensation to the complainant for causing him mental agony and deficiency in service, along with Rs 10, 000 towards the cost of expenses. Further, directed the banker to return those original documents to the complainant within two months, sources said.