Udupi District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission orders SBI to compensate to a customer

Udupi:  Udupi District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (UDCDRC), recently ordered State Bank of India (SBI) to compensate wood sculptor Harish Gudigar from Uppuru for Rs. 6 lakh. He had a savings account at the Malleshwaram branch of the SBI when he worked as a graphic designer in Bengaluru. The same branch used to hold his fixed deposits.

According to Ravindranath Shanbhag, president of Human Rights Protection Foundation, Harish resigned his Bengaluru job in February 2019 and returned to his hometown.  His savings bank and fixed deposit accounts were transferred to SBI’s Santhekatte branch. Harish received an unclear transaction message on his mobile phone on August 23, 2019. Then he discovered that three transactions had been made within minutes. The first transaction was the transfer of Rs 5 lakh from Harish’s fixed deposit account to his savings account. Another fixed deposit account of Harish was transferred to his savings bank account for Rs 50,010. The third transaction was the transfer of Rs 5,50,010 to an account of an unknown person in the Delhi branch of SBI. Immediately after that, he deposited the remaining Rs 6,360 into a private bank account.

Harish went straight to the SBI branch of Santhekatte and told the manager about the incident. After filing a complaint with cyber police, he was assured his money was safe. The bank assured him that his money would be sent within 48 hours. He complained to a senior official and repeated his queries without success.

Five months after the incident, Harish approached UDCDRC with the help of HRPF, Udupi. Having deliberated for 16 months, the commission has pronounced its ruling, ordering SBI to pay Rs.5,50,010/- plus 10% interest to Harish Gudigar. Additionally, it has granted Rs.50,000 in compensation, as well as Rs.10,000 toward legal costs.