Mr. Justice S.S. Sandhawalia, President— For the limited purpose of adjudicating on the pecuniary jurisdiction of this complaint, it is unnecessary to delve too deeply into the facts and merits.

2. It suffices to mention that on the complainant’s own showing, he is a matriculate and runs a, small cloth shop in his native village at Bhana. On the 26th of March, 1993 he fell down from a stool in his shop causing an injury to his left fore-arm. He was given orthopaedic treatment with surgery by Dr. R. K. Jindal, the proprietor of M/s. Jindal Dental and Orthopaedic Clinic at Kaithal on 27.3.1993. The allegation is that the plate inserted in the fore-arm subsequently got infected and the complainant had to seek medical assistance in the Orthopaedic Department of the P.G.I, on the 18th of June, 1993. On the allegations of medical negligence against Dr. R.K. Jindal, a somewhat tall claim of compensation to the tune of Rs. 14 lacs in the relief clause has been raised, though in the heading the damages sought were only 10 lacs.

3. Mr. V.B. Aggarwal, the learned Counsel for the complainant was somewhat hard-put to bring the case within the pecuniary jurisdiction of this Commission at a fi