PUNJAB NATIONAL BANK Vs. MOHAN LAL & ANR.

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Despite a number of opportunities, defects pointed out by the office have not been removed by the Petitioner, viz. Punjab National Bank. Even the English translation of the orders, impugned in these Revision Petitions, have not been filed. However, since we are not inclined to entertain these 355 Petitions because of the quantum of the amount involved in each of the cases, which would be less than 50,000/- and even on merits, there is not much substance in the stand of the Petitioner, to avoid further wastage of money, at least on stationery, we exempt the Petitioner from curing the office objections. Revision Petitions

(2.) These three batches of 355 Revision Petitions, under section 21(b) of the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 (for short "the Act"), by the Punjab National Bank (for short "the Bank"), Opposite Party No.1 in the Complaints, filed by the Farmers, are directed against the common order dated 24.1.2017, passed by the Rajasthan State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Circuit Bench at Bikaner (for short "the State Commission"), in Appeal Numbers noted above. By the said order, the State Commission has upheld several orders passed on various dates by the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, Churu, Rajasthan (for short "the District Forum") in Consumer Complaints, as noted above. By the said orders, while accepting the Complaints filed by over 350 farmers, alleging deficiency in service on the part of the Bank in not remitting the full amount of premium to the Agriculture Insurance Company Ltd., Opposite Party No.2 (for short "the Insurance Company"), under the 'Rashtriya Krishi Bima Yojna' for the Rabi season 2009-10, resulting in the farmers getting lesser amount of compensation under the said Scheme from the Insurance Company, the District Forum had directed the Bank to re-compute the actual premium payable in respect of each of the Complainants/farmers and in the event of shortfall in the premium, make good the deficiency in the amount of compensation payable to them under the said Scheme, in terms of the Circular dated 26.11.2009, issued by Agriculture Insurance Co. of India Ltd. to all the financial institutions in the State of Rajasthan and Branch Managers of the Nodal Banks, like the Petitioner.

(3.) Affirming the finding returned by the District Forum to the effect that there was deficiency in service on the part of the Bank in remitting to the Insurance Company the correct amount of the premium, it was obliged to make good the deficiency in the compensation under the said Crop Insurance Scheme, the State Commission has placed reliance on the letter, stated to have been written by the Bank to the Insurance Company, which reads as follows :