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BENGALURU: Nearly six years after a Bengaluru woman’s fixed deposit matured, a consumer commission has ordered a credit co-operative society to return her Rs 3 lakh investment with interest, holding it liable for failing to honour its repayment obligation. The Bengaluru Urban District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has also directed the society to pay Rs 35,000 towards compensation and litigation expenses to the 66-year-old depositor, Sabitha. The dispute dates back to October 2020, when Sabitha’s three-year fixed deposit with the society became due for repayment. She had invested Rs 3 lakh on October 11, 2017, at an annual interest rate of 9.5%. A second visit in November 2020 also failed to secure her money, with the society citing the time required to process the repayment. After years of waiting, she sent the society a legal notice on February 25, 2026, seeking repayment. The society neither responded to the notice nor returned the deposit, following which she filed a complaint under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, alleging deficiency in service and unfair trade practice. In its September 28, 2026, order, the commission, headed by president Shivarama K and comprising members Rekha Sayannavar and Suma Anilkumar, directed the society to return the Rs 3 lakh deposit with 9.5% annual interest calculated from October 11, 2017, until the amount is realised. It additionally awarded Sabitha Rs 25,000 for mental agony and hardship and Rs 10,000 towards litigation expenses. The society has been given 45 days to comply. If it misses the deadline, the Rs 35,000 awarded as compensation and litigation costs will carry 9% annual interest from the date of the order until payment.
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She told the commission that she needed the money for personal and family commitments and that being denied access to her savings had caused financial hardship. When Sabitha approached the society after the deposit matured, she was asked to return a month later. The woman continued visiting the society and seeking the release of her principal and accumulated interest, but the payment never came. The III Additional Bengaluru Urban District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission examined the fixed deposit receipt, Sabitha’s affidavit and other documents submitted in support of her complaint. It also placed no evidence on record to dispute the woman’s claims. The commission found that the society had failed to repay the deposit even after its maturity and that the prolonged withholding of the money had caused the complainant financial difficulties and mental distress. Download the TOI App.
The society did not appear before the commission despite being served notice.