By IANS
New Delhi : Coming down heavily on ICICI bank for employing goons to beat up a consumer for recovery of a loan, a consumer court here has fined the bank Rs.5.5 million.
The Delhi Consumer Commission passed the ruling while ordering the bank to pay Rs.500,000 compensation to a consumer who was beaten up by recovery agents who took away a loaned car from him.
“No civilised society governed by rule of law can brook such kind of conduct,” the commission’s president Justice J.D. Kapoor said, describing the methods adopted by the recovery agents as a serious violation of human rights.
The commission held the bank guilty of “unfair trade practice” and expressed its ire on it for flouting the Supreme Court’s direction that restrained financial institutions from employing musclemen to recover loans.
The commission issued notices to ICICI and the CEO of the recovery agency, seeking explanations for violation of the apex court’s directions.
Its order came while hearing a complaint by Tapan Bose, whose loaned car was taken away by recovery agents after they beat up his friend’s son with iron rods on Jan 8, resulting in serious injuries.