Ahmedabad: Most people fight insurance companies to get what they’re owed. But Vasudev Thakkar’s story is just the opposite. After receiving more than Rs 14,000 for a repair that cost him just Rs 250, the businessman from Vadodara decided he couldn’t keep the extra amount. His honesty kicked off a nine-year legal battle through consumer forums and the high court, trying to return the excess to his insurer.
Now, the matter is headed for another hearing on May 5.
Thakkar, a policyholder of New India Assurance, has multiple insurance covers. One of them was a household insurance policy that covered home appliances. In 2016, when his car washing machine broke down, he reported the issue and got it fixed after the insurer approved his claim. The company sent a cheque for a little over Rs 14,000, as assessed by their surveyor.
But when Thakkar took the machine to a service centre, it was repaired for just Rs 250. That didn’t sit right with him. “I couldn’t morally accept money I wasn’t entitled to,” Thakkar told TOI. “Since I had already deposited the cheque, I got a demand draft made to return the extra amount and requested the company to investigate the overpayment. But they refused to accept the refund.”
Not stopping there, Vasudev Thakkar went to the police, alleging that the surveyor hadn’t visited his home and had instead sent an assistant, resulting in an inflated estimate and loss to the govt-run insurer. However, after an inquiry, the police found no wrongdoing by the company. Thakkar then approached a criminal court, and the case is still pending.
What further angered Thakkar was the company’s response — it asked him to shift his policy to another insurer. He challenged the cancellation of his policy in Vadodara’s consumer dispute redressal forum, arguing the cancellation was unjust. He also demanded the company accept his refund. The forum stayed the policy cancellation, and when the company tried to get the stay lifted from the state consumer commission, it failed.
Frustrated by the delays, Thakkar filed a contempt petition against the insurer in the consumer forum. In 2023, he moved the Gujarat high court seeking direction to expedite the contempt hearing before taking up the main issue of the refund. Since the insurance company has yet to respond to the petition, the high court has scheduled a hearing for May 5.
For nine years, Thakkar has stayed firm on a simple principle: right is right, even if it means a long legal slog — just to return Rs 14,000.
Now, the matter is headed for another hearing on May 5.
Thakkar, a policyholder of New India Assurance, has multiple insurance covers. One of them was a household insurance policy that covered home appliances. In 2016, when his car washing machine broke down, he reported the issue and got it fixed after the insurer approved his claim. The company sent a cheque for a little over Rs 14,000, as assessed by their surveyor.
But when Thakkar took the machine to a service centre, it was repaired for just Rs 250. That didn’t sit right with him. “I couldn’t morally accept money I wasn’t entitled to,” Thakkar told TOI. “Since I had already deposited the cheque, I got a demand draft made to return the extra amount and requested the company to investigate the overpayment. But they refused to accept the refund.”
Not stopping there, Vasudev Thakkar went to the police, alleging that the surveyor hadn’t visited his home and had instead sent an assistant, resulting in an inflated estimate and loss to the govt-run insurer. However, after an inquiry, the police found no wrongdoing by the company. Thakkar then approached a criminal court, and the case is still pending.
What further angered Thakkar was the company’s response — it asked him to shift his policy to another insurer. He challenged the cancellation of his policy in Vadodara’s consumer dispute redressal forum, arguing the cancellation was unjust. He also demanded the company accept his refund. The forum stayed the policy cancellation, and when the company tried to get the stay lifted from the state consumer commission, it failed.
Frustrated by the delays, Thakkar filed a contempt petition against the insurer in the consumer forum. In 2023, he moved the Gujarat high court seeking direction to expedite the contempt hearing before taking up the main issue of the refund. Since the insurance company has yet to respond to the petition, the high court has scheduled a hearing for May 5.
For nine years, Thakkar has stayed firm on a simple principle: right is right, even if it means a long legal slog — just to return Rs 14,000.