Anupam Dasgupta, Member—This appeal has been filed by the widow, Smt. Gangotri Devi and the children (hereafter, ‘the complainants’) of one Ved Prakash Mall (deceased), resident of Ram Lakshman, Deoria who had taken a Janata Personal Accident Insurance Policy (hereafter, ‘the policy’) for the sum of Rs. 5,00,000 from the respondent Insurance Company (hereafter, ‘the insurance company’). The policy was valid for the period 6.12.1996-5.12.1999. The complainants’ case is that the assured suffered snakebite on 25.1.1997 because of which he died, at the Primary Health Centre (PHC), Gauri Bazar, Deoria the same day, within about an hour of his admission. The insurance company repudiated the insurance claim filed by the complainants on the ground that the assured did not die of snakebite as claimed. Against this repudiation, the complainants first filed a consumer complaint before the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum (‘the District Forum’), Deoria and subsequently (in 2002) the Uttar Pradesh State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (hereafter, ‘the State Commission’). This was because the District Forum lacked the pecuniary jurisdiction to adjudicate the complaint und