Dipika wins case against Axis Bank

A consumer court in Chennai on Monday ordered Axis Bank to pay `5,00,000 as compensation to ace squash player Dipika Pallikal for deficiency in its service.

Dipika had sued Axis Bank for humiliation and loss of reputation she suffered during one of her foreign  trips in 2011.She had complained to the District Consumer Redressal Forum in Chennai last year that though she had sufficient balance in her account, the debit card declined the transaction.

Dipika said her debit card failed when she swiped it to pay `30,000 (490 euros) hotel bill. Foreign players ridiculed her creditworthiness and bad-mouthed India too. Dipika, who was honoured with Padma Sri by the President of India this year, had sued the private sector bank for `10 lakh for causing her distress and mental agony.

The bank in its reply said the incident was a case of Force Majeure (by the act of God or beyond the control of the service provider). A month later, the same bank returned a Government of India cheque of `1 lakh — an award from the Union Sports Ministry — which Dipika had deposited with the bank into her account and later cited a technical error.The bank in its reply to her complaints denied negligence on their side and instead questioned her mental toughness to be a world champion.

“We are very happy with the verdict. We are awaiting the certified copy of the order. Service providers like banks cannot leave their customers in the lurch, wash their hands off and hide behind disclaimers like Force Majeure. That’s the stern message this verdict will send out to all those who short change consumers. What’s worse, after their deficiency in service, the bank’s snide remarks on my client’s mental strength were insensitive and constituted a double whammy. This is a great day for the consumer movement in India,” said Sanjay Pinto, Dipika’s lawyer.

EOM