‘Minor lapse on part of driver no reason to dismiss insurance claim’

The Telangana State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission held that a minor lapse on the part of a vehicle driver is not liable for a claim to be dismissed, and directed an insurance company to reimburse ₹ 17.54 lakh. The Commission bench comprising president M S K Jaiswal and member Meena Ramanathan was dealing with a complaint filed by Ch Sudhakara Raju, a resident of Banjara Hills, against Bharati Axa General Insurance Co Ltd. The complainant stated that in September 2013 his Audi Q7 3.0 TDI car, purchased for over ₹ 60.21 lakh, was stranded in Jubilee Hills due to heavy rains when water overflowed from KBR National Park. The water entered the car’s engine, and it would not start.