ORDER (ORAL)

V.K. Jain, Presiding Member.—The complainant which is a partnership firm, and is running a poultry farm, was sanctioned loans worth Rs.9.98 crore under different heads. The case of the complainant is that the loan accounts ought to have been renewed after one year but that was not done. The respondent debited a sum of Rs.1611921/- in the account of the complainant towards recovery of short interest. The case of the complainant is that the respondent had recovered excess interest from it for the period from 18.09.2013 to 20.06.2014 without intimating the hike in the interest rate to the complainant. The complainant, therefore, approached the concerned District Forum by way of a consumer complaint.

2. The complaint was resisted by the respondent which took a preliminary objection that the complainant was not a ‘consumer’ within the meaning of the Consumer Protection Act, 1986.

3. On merits also the respondent disputed the case set out by the complainant.

4. The District Forum having allowed the consumer complaint and having held that the complainant was entitled to recover excess interest paid to the bank for the above-referred period, the respondent bank approached the