Hyderabad District Commission: India Post Directed To Pay Rs. 20,000 For Tampering With Parcel

The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission – III, Hyderabad bench led by Mr. M. Ram Gopal Reddy along with Mrs. J. Shyamala and Mr. R. Narayan Reddy as members, partly allowed a consumer complaint filed by an IPS officer against India Post. The complaint alleged that the postal department had tampered with the parcels and valuable contents sent by the complainant from Hyderabad to Haridwar. Specifically, the complainant said that 10 sarees worth Rs. 20,000/- had gone missing from his parcels upon reaching their destination. The District Commission found that there was indeed a deficiency in service on the part of India Post (Opposite Party), leading to these missing items. As a result, the Postal Department was directed to compensate the complainant with Rs. 20,000/- along with an additional Rs. 5,000/- as the cost of the complaint. Brief Facts Mr. V.K. Singh, an IPS officer, filed a complaint against India Post. He alleged that on June 7, 2022, he sent articles in four packets via India Post from GPO, Hyderabad, through a person named Mr. Md. Rawoof. As per the complaint, the GPO staff advised unpacking the parcels which the complainant had already packed. They rearranged the contents, placing saris and bed sheets in one packet and other items like shirts, pants, medical books, and plastic containers in different packets. Upon reaching Haridwar, it was discovered that 10 saris worth Rs. 20,000 were missing, although the other articles remained intact. It was further alleged that the videos of the parcels taken during packing in Hyderabad, and the videos at the time of delivery in Haridwar were different. According to Mr. V.K. Singh, the parcels were intentionally tampered with, with the aim of stealing the articles, resulting in a loss. He argued that this was the third incident of theft from the postal department, with two prior incidents at Jubilee Hills post office leading to criminal cases. As a result, Mr. Singh filed a consumer complaint requesting compensation of Rs. 4,00,000/- and Rs. 50,000/-. Arguments of India Post The Postal Department (Opposite Party) contested the complaint by arguing that the complaint was not maintainable under the law and should be dismissed. They contended that Mr. Singh had sent three registered parcels from Hyderabad to Haridwar, which were delivered on June 13, 2022. The complaint was related to one of these parcels, which the complainant alleged had been tampered with. The Postal Department clarified that they had received the parcels in good condition and had delivered them to the addressee without any issues. However, they acknowledged that a web complaint had been lodged regarding the alleged tampering of a parcel. Subsequently, inquiries were conducted with the delivery post office and intermediate offices, revealing that the articles had been received in good condition at the delivery post office. However, it was the recipient who reported missing contents. The Postal Department further pointed out that an inquiry into the alleged abstraction of contents had been initiated and assigned to the Assistant Superintendent of Post Offices in Haridwar. Observations of the Commission The Hyderabad District Commission, upon finding that ten sarees worth Rs. 20,000/- were missing from a parcel, partially allowed the complaint and held that India Post was liable for compensating the complainant with Rs. 20,000/-. Additionally, a cost of Rs. 5,000/- for the complaint was imposed on India Post. The Commission granted a 45-day compliance period to the Postal Department to follow this decision. Case Title: V.K. Singh IPS vs. India Post Counsel for Complainant: Sri M. Vijayakumar Goud & Associates, Advocates Counsel for Opposite Party: M/s. P. Narayana, Advocates Click Here To Read/Download The Order

Hyderabad District Commission: India Post Directed To Pay Rs. 20,000 For Tampering With Parcel

Apoorva Pandita

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