UNITED INDIA INSURANCE CO LTD Vs. G RAJAYALAKSHMI

JUDGEMENT

(1.) LATE Sh. G. Venkat Subbareddy, father of the complainant had taken an insurance policy meant for engineering students and parents. Under the said policy, in the event of accidental death of a parent or a guardian, a sum of Rs. 3 Lacs was payable to the nominee alongwith compensation amounting to Rs. 25,000/ - and boarding charges amounting to Rs. 25,000/ - per annum for the remaining period of his/her study. The case of the complainant is that her father was murdered on 16.05.2007 and an FIR being Crime No. 22/2007 was registered in this regard at Kamalla Police Station. After post mortem, inquest report and completion of investigation, a charge sheet was filed against several persons U/s 302 of Indian Penal Code for committing his murder. The complainant lodged a claim with the petitioner company for payment in terms of the policy taken by her. The claim, however, came to be repudiated by the insurance company on the ground that the death of the deceased was not accidental and was a murder and therefore, the said death was not covered under the said policy.

(2.) BEING aggrieved from the rejection of her claim, the complainant approached the concerned District Forum by way of a complaint. The petitioner company resisted the complaint on the same grounds on which it had repudiated the same.

(3.) VIDE its order dated 14.10.2009, the concerned District Forum directed the insurance company to pay a sum of Rs. 5,00,000/ - to the complainant alongwith compensation amounting to Rs. 5,000/ - and cost of litigation amounting to Rs. 3,000/ -.