Chennai: The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, Chennai (North), directed HDFC bank to provide a compensation of Rs 38,100 to petitioner M. Umapathy for wrongly collecting money from him even after the complete repayment of his loan.
In his petition, M. Umapathy submitted that he had obtained a loan of Rs 35,000 from HDFC bank, T Nagar branch. September 19, 2005, the bank began debiting the equated monthly installment of Rs 3,120 from his bank account.
Counsel for the petitioner M. Sathyan said that the entire loan was divided into 12 installments, however, in the final month, the bank collected Rs 3,609, including a fine.
He further submitted that the bank had not issued a no objection certificate (NOC) for four years, thereby committing a deficiency in service. On the aforestated grounds, he sought a compensation of Rs 1 lakh to his client from the bank.
Denying the allegations, the bank argued that the grievance was addressed in 2010 by providing a cheque for Rs 3,100 and that the NOC, too, had been issued on time and therefore, the petition was therefore liable to be dismissed.
The consumer forum bench comprising president K. Lakshmikantham and member P.V. Jeyanthi said the bank had committed negligence by delaying the issuance of the NOC despite Umapathy repaying the loan.
Based on this observation, the bench directed the bank to pay him a compensation of Rs 38,100.
