HDFC Life Insurance Ordered to Compensate Covid Victim's Widow ₹1.17 Crore
Chandigarh:‘Lifestyle diseases no grounds for claim rejection’: Insurer told to pay Rs1 crore to Covid victim’s wife
Hindustan Times
Image: Hindustan Times
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission-I in Chandigarh has ordered HDFC Life Insurance Company Limited to pay ₹1.17 crore to Dipti Walia, whose husband died from Covid-19 in 2021. The claim was initially rejected due to alleged non-disclosure of pre-existing conditions, which the commission ruled were unrelated to his death.
- 01HDFC Life Insurance must pay ₹1.17 crore to a widow after wrongly rejecting her claim.
- 02The commission ruled that lifestyle diseases like diabetes and hypertension cannot justify claim rejection.
- 03The deceased's medical records showed Covid-19 as the cause of death.
- 04The insurer was found guilty of unfair trade practices and deficiency in service.
- 05Dipti Walia was awarded additional compensation for mental agony and litigation costs.
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The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission-I has ordered HDFC Life Insurance Company Limited to pay ₹1.17 crore to Dipti Walia, whose husband, Daljit Singh Walia, died from Covid-19 in May 2021. The commission found that the insurer had wrongly rejected the claim, citing alleged non-disclosure of pre-existing conditions like diabetes and hypertension. However, the commission ruled that these conditions were unrelated to the cause of death, emphasizing that lifestyle diseases cannot be grounds for claim repudiation. The commission also noted that the deceased's glucose levels were normal at the time of hospitalization. In addition to the claim amount, Walia was awarded ₹25,000 for mental agony and ₹10,000 for litigation costs. The complaint against HDFC Ltd and the hospital was dismissed due to lack of evidence of deficiency in service.
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This ruling reinforces consumer rights in insurance claims, particularly in cases involving lifestyle diseases. It sets a precedent that may benefit other claimants facing similar issues.
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