After a long-drawn effort, ace squash player and Padma Shri awardee Dipika Pallikal on Monday won the legal battle against Axis Bank in a consumer court here.
Holding the bank responsible of deficient service, the court ordered it to pay a compensation of Rs 5 lakh, and Rs 5,000 towards costs, to Pallikal.
“This is a victory for the consumers of India. It reaffirms our faith in consumer courts. It will motivate other consumers who are wronged by service providers to stand up and fight for justice. A big thank you to all those who stood by me,” said Pallikal after the verdict.
The sportsperson had sued Axis Bank for humiliation and loss of reputation after her debit card transaction did not go through at a hotel in Rotterdam in 2011 despite there being sufficient funds in her account.
On learning about it, players from other countries made remarks about her creditworthiness and also about India.
Fortunately, Pallikal managed to pay the hotel with a debit card from another bank.
Soon after that incident, Axis Bank did not credit Pallikal's account with the Rs 1 lakh cheque she had deposited. It returned the cheque to her with remark “not drawn on us”.
The cheque was issued by the Indian government for her achievement in the sporting arena and making the country proud. After a lot of communication, Axis Bank finally credited the amount, saying the instrument was returned due to technical error.
Upset at the attitude of the bank, Pallikal filed a case in consumer court here in 2012.
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