The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission–II in Tirupati has directed the United India Insurance Company (UIIC) Limited to pay the promised claim amount, along with compensation, to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) towards theft of insured ornaments pertaining to an incident dating back to August 2009.
The TTD had insured the jewellery at its Tirumala, Tirupati, Tiruchanur, Srinivasa Mangapuram, Nagalapuram, Appalayagunta, Karvetinagaram and Narayanavanam temples for ₹77,15,41,743 by paying a one-time premium of ₹2,25,000 for the period covering August 26, 2008 to August 25, 2009.
When a few ornaments adorning the deities at the TTD’s Sri Kodandarama temple in Tirupati were stolen by an employee, a case (Cr.No.91/2009) had been registered in the Tirupati West police station. After hearing, the court delivered its judgment in 2015 and convicted the accused.
However, when the TTD applied for a claim of ₹2,43,480 towards the undetected ornament, based on a police certificate issued to this effect, the company rejected the same saying that the theft had been committed by the insured’s employee, which “fell outside the scope of coverage.”
When the company insisted that the claim covered burglary, but not theft, the TTD’s counsel, K. Rajesh, pointed to Webster’s Dictionary that showed theft as a synonym to burglary, besides pointing out that the TTD had taken “Special Contingency Insurance” that covered all forms of theft.
The TTD had moved the consumer commission in 2023 seeking settlement of the claim.
Delivering the verdict on September 30, commission presidentT. Sneha Latha and member N. Sasidhara Reddy directed the company to settle the claim of ₹2,43,480 for the undetected ornament, along with a compensation of ₹1 lakh towards deficiency of service.
Published - October 06, 2024 07:55 pm IST
