Now it’s Life Insurance: SC agrees to hear case against LIC for ‘duping’ 5 crore customers

Agencies
July 10, 2019

New Delhi, Jul 10: A non-profit organization engaged in promoting financial literacy has moved the Supreme Court, alleging cheating, especially of senior citizens, by the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) through its Jeevan Saral policy, in which nearly 5 crore policy holders have "lost a big chunk on their principal investment".

The Mumbai-based Moneylife Foundation said it has received several complaints from policy holders, especially senior citizens, in the past few years.

"This scam is nearly or probably more than Rs1 lakh crore. We have a large number of complaints against this policy. This prompted us to file a Public Interest Litigation in the top court in the country. It is a clear case of cheating by the LIC," said Yogesh Sapkale of the foundation, which is seeking return of the premium of the policy-holders with 8 per cent interest.

After hearing senior counsel Arvind Datar, appearing for the foundation, a bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi posted the matter on July 15 for a detailed hearing.

The petition alleges that the Jeevan Saral policy was arbitrarily designed, and therefore, there was no emphasis on the due diligence aspect and gullible customers were misled through proposal forms, which were not correct.

After several allegations, the LIC recalled the policy in 2014, but the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) and the Finance Ministry are yet to recall it, and the policy-holders have been running from pillar to post for redressal, it said.

According to the foundation, the policy has gobbled-up the hard-earned savings of crores of policy holders, and it also left the LIC agents and their association infuriated. There have been many protests and complaints against the LIC, but it has not yet decided on returning the premium of the policy holders.

Due to the ill-design of the policy, senior citizens received negative returns on their investment, the foundation said, citing an example of a senior citizen who invested nearly Rs 10 lakh in ten years but at the end of the policy's tenure, received merely Rs 3 lakh.

Although, few customers moved consumer courts and got favourable orders, but this whole process of litigation is extremely time-consuming, said the foundation.

Moneylife's petition alleges several complaints and representations have been made to the LIC highlighting the gross irregularity in their system, but it has not budged.

"The IRDAI is empowered under Section 33 of the Insurance Act read with the Insurance Amendment Act, 2015 and the IRDA Act, 1999 to investigate the malpractices. However, it has remained a silent spectator of 'mass cheating by LIC'," Sapkale said, clarifying they have locus standi on the matter, as policy-holders are not organized under a body.

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Agencies
February 4,2020

New Delhi, Feb 4: Four-month-old Mohammed Jahaan accompanied his mother almost every day to the Shaheen Bagh demonstration where he was a favourite with the protesters who would take turns to hold him and often draw the tricolour on his cheeks.

Jahaan will not be seen at Shaheen Bagh anymore. He died last week after acquiring a severe cold and congestion following exposure to the winter chill at the outdoor demonstration. His mother is, however, undeterred and determined to participate in the protests, saying it is "for the future of my children".

The infant's shattered parents, Mohammed Arif and Nazia, live in a tiny shanty put together with plastic sheets and cloth in Batla House area and have two other children -- a five-year-old daughter and a one-year-old son.

Hailing from Bareilly in UP, the couple is barely able to make ends meet. Arif is an embroidery worker and also drives an e-rickshaw. His wife helps him in his embroidery work.

"I haven't been able to earn enough in the last month despite driving the battery rickshaw in addition to my embroidery work. Now with our baby's demise, we have lost everything," he said, showing a picture of little Jahaan wearing a woolen cap that read 'I Love My India'.

A visibly disturbed Nazia said Jahaan passed away in his sleep on night of January 30 after returning from the protests.

"I had returned from Shaheen Baag at around 1 AM. After putting him and other kids to sleep, even I went to sleep. In the morning, I suddenly found him motionless. He was gone in his sleep," she said.

The couple said they took their motionless baby to the nearby Alshifa Hospital on the morning of January 31 where he was declared dead on arrival.

Nazia, who had been visiting the Shaheen Bagh demonstration everyday with Jahaan since December 18, says that he died after catching a cold that turned lethal.

She said she didn't realise that his congestion was so severe. However, the baby's death certificate issued by the hospital does not mention any specific reason for the death.

Shazia, a neighbour who was present at the couple's home, said Nazia had fought with her mother and husband to visit Shaheen Bagh everyday. Nazia would gather all women in the bylane outside her house so that they could together walk to the demonstration, around 2 km away. Sometimes, Arif would drop some of them to Shaheen Bagh on his e-rickshaw.

Nazia said she strongly feels that the CAA and NRC are against the welfare of all communities and will join the Shaheen Bagh protests, but this time without her children.

"Why was I doing this? For my children and the children of all us who need a bright future in this country," she told PTI.

"The CAA divides us on religion and should never be accepted. I don't know if there is politics involved but I know that I must question what is against the future of my children."

Arif, however, blamed the NRC and CAA for his child's death.

"Had the government not brought CAA and NRC, people would not have protested and my wife would not have joined them, my son would have been alive," he said.

Comments

Angry Indian
 - 
Tuesday, 4 Feb 2020

inna lillahi inna ilaihi rajioon...so sad

 

Modi, delhi police and Amith Shah the biggest EVIL of india is responsible for this samll soul death...

 

you have to answer one day after you die...dont think this world is permenant..

 

you will never see heaven forever...you must root in hell

 

GADDAR PM & HM

 

Jai Hind

 

 

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Agencies
August 1,2020

New Delhi, Aug 1: Rajya Sabha MP and former Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh has died in Singapore where he was undergoing treatment.

Amar Singh, 64, had undergone kidney transplant in 2011 and was not keeping well for a long time.

“Saddened to know about the death of senior leader and parliamentarian Amar Singh,” Defence Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted.

Earlier in the day, the former Samajwadi leader had posted messages on Twitter, paying tributes to Bal Gangadhar Tilak on his 100th death anniversary and also wishing people on Eid.

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News Network
August 8,2020

Kozhikode, Aug 8: A family of five, returning to their hometown at Koducalli in Kozhikode from Dubai, were aboard the fateful Air India Express flight that crash-landed at the Kozhikode airport claiming at least 18 lives on Friday.

Saifudheen, 40, is a businessman in Dubai. During the vacation when schools were closed here, his wife Fasalunnisa travelled, along with their children Muhammad Shahil, Fathima Sana and Aysha Shanza, to meet her husband.

On Friday, they were all travelling in the Air India aircraft to Kozhikode.

All five have received injuries and have been admitted to Baby Memorial Hospital Kozhikode except Sana, who is admitted to Al Shifa Hospital at Perinthalmanna in Malappuram.

"Saifudheen is my uncle. He and his family members were returning from Dubai when this unfortunate incident occurred. We were informed about the mishap at 8 pm. Now the family members have been shifted to Baby Memorial Hospital and everyone is fine now," Muhammad Salih, nephew of Saifudheen said.

The death toll in the flight crash landing incident at Kozhikode International Airport in Kerala rose to 18, including two pilots, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Saturday.

The minister said that he will visit the Kozhikode airport to take stock of the situation.

Two special relief flights have been arranged from Delhi and one from Mumbai for rendering humanitarian assistance to all the passengers and the family members.

Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Flight Safety Departments have reached to investigate the incident, the Air India Express stated.

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