NCDRC asks SBI to allow widow access to monthly pension
What's the story
The apex consumer forum has directed the State Bank of India (SBI) to allow the widow of a defense personnel access to her monthly family pension which was withheld. The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) bench said freezing the bank account of Manika Sarkar, the woman, and denying her access to pension amounted to deficiency in service. Here's more.
The bench
Bench directed the bank to release the pension
A bench of presiding member Anup K Thakur and member C Vishwanath directed SBI's branch in West Bengal's Nadia to release the withheld pension to Manika Sarkar. "The respondent (Sarkar) was a customer of the petitioner (SBI) as she was having a joint account in the petitioner's bank, where her pension was regularly deposited. The petitioner was a service provider," the bench said.
Information
Sarkar had been receiving pension in her savings bank account
"The petitioner bank froze her account and wrongly denied her access to her pension, which amounted to deficiency in service," said the bench. Sarkar had been receiving the pension in her savings account, jointly held with her son, Suman Kalyan Sarkar, after her husband's death.
What happened?
Woman deprived of pension after her son committed an offense
According to the woman's complaint, Suman, an employee of SBI, was charged with misappropriation of money after which the bank authorities froze Sarkar's account depriving her of the pension, which was her sole source of sustenance. A district forum in its April 24, 2018 order had said that pension was meant for survival of the pension holder, which cannot be attached/withheld by anyone.
NCDRC order
'It's wrong to make Sarkar suffer for her son's mistake'
The NCDRC, while dismissing the revision petition filed by SBI, said it was wrong on the part of the bank to withhold Sarkar's pension thereby making her suffer for her son's mistake. "It's clear from the evidence available on record as well from the orders of the lower fora, that no fault was committed by Sarkar. She cannot be made to suffer," it said.