Panel orders IOC, agency to pay man Rs5 lakh
Mumbai   15-Jul-2010

National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) has directed IndianOil (IOC) and a Bangalore-based gas distribution agency to jointly pay a compensation of Rs5 lakh to a man for deficient service.

Complainant D Shankar alleged an LPG cylinder and regulator supplied by Bangalore-based Gopi Agencies was defective and exploded at his residence, claiming the life of his wife Indumathi and severely injuring daughter Sangeetha.

Shankar had initially appealed to Karnataka State Consumer Commission (KSCC), but could not get compensation as he failed to prove that Gopi Agencies had supplied the cylinder. He then filed an appeal in NCDRC, which directed the companies to pay up.

"We direct Gopi Agencies and IOC to pay a sum of Rs5 lakh to the appellant with the clarification that they will be liable for this payment jointly," justices RC Jain and Anupam Dasgupta said.

They said the complainant was a customer of the agency and the exchange of letters between him, IOC and the agency till March 1995 lent strong credence to the substance of his contention.

"KSCC erred in not duly considering the collective weight of the documents and the conduct of the gas agency and IOC," the judges said.