IN THE DELHI STATE CONSUMER DISPUTES REDRESSAL COMMISSION Date of Institution: 10.06.2024 Date of Hearing: 11.11.2025 Date of Decision: 10.02.2026 FIRST APPEAL NO.-428/2024 IN THE MATTER OF MR. KAWALPREET SINGH S/O MR. PRITAM SINGH, R/O WZ – 43/2, GROUND FLOOR, GALI NO. 8, KRISHNA PARK EXTENSION, TILAK NAGAR, NEW DELHI – 110018.

PREVIOUS ADDRESS:-

19/20 B, UPPER GROUND FLOOR, TILAK NAGAR, NEW DELHI - 110018 (Through: Esteem Law Associates LLP)

...Appellant VERSUS CITIBANK N.A.

CITIBANK N.A., MAIL ROOM, ACROPOLIS, 9^TH FLOOR, NEW DOOR NO. 148 (OLD NO. 68), DR. RADHAKRISHNAN SALAI, MYLAPORE, CHENNAI – 60004.

(Through: Suri & Company, Law Firm)

…Respondent CORAM:

HON’BLE JUSTICE SANGITA DHINGRA SEHGAL (PRESIDENT)

HON’BLE MS. BIMLA KUMARI, MEMBER (FEMALE)

Present: Gurpreet Kaur, Counsel for the Appellant appeared through VC.

Akshay Kapoor , Counsel for the Respondent, Enrl No. D/967/14, Email: litigation@surico.in PER: HON’BLE JUSTICE SANGITA DHINGRA SEHGAL, PRESIDENT

JUDGMENT

1. The facts of the case as per the District Commission record are as under:

“1. According to complainant, he was a valuable customer and subscriber of the credit card services of the OP since the year 2013, but the OP has acted in an arbitrary manner and the present case is an example of sheer deficiency in services provided by the OP leading to filing of present complaint.

2. Complainant narrates that in the year 2013, he had subscribed to the credit card services offered by the OP by getting issued credit card namely "Rewards' currently bearing no. 4386280041334750 and since then has regularly used the said credit card and made payments of dues of said credit card before due date. It is further submitted that in the year 2015, the Complainant also subscribed to another credit card, issued by the OP namely "Indian Oil" currently bearing no. 5546370230678234 and has also used this card on regular basis and made payments of the dues of this card also before due dates every time.

3. Complainant states that his son who was around 1.5 years old (at time of following incident) was suffering from health-related issues and was hospitalized previously, due to which the doctor prescribed echo test to be conducted on him. To get the said test done, In the evening of 21.09.2021, when the credit card ending with no.4750 was used/swiped at Shishu Sadan Hospital, Janakpuri, New Delhi at around 6:40 PM to make payment as to expenses of the aforementioned medical test, the said credit card didn't work due to which the medical test got delayed. This caused a lot of mental agony and harassment to the complainant as his 1.5 years old son was made to suffer at the behest of the OP. The complainant was shocked as it never happened in past that credit card in question or other credit card issued by the OP didn't work as the OP is one of the reputed banks and complainant is it's old consumer/credit card service subscriber. The complainant called the Ors customer care number enquiring as to the said issue and was shocked to know from them that his both credit cards issued by the OP had been closed on 15.09.2021 by stating 'due to some internal review without any prior intimation to the complainant It is contended that it is a settled position of law that closure of credit cards arbitrarily without prior intimation to the customer is in itself a deficiency in service which calls for Interference by consumer forums to redress the same by awarding damages/compensation to the aggrieved party as no service provider can at it's sole behest without Informing in advance a regular consumer of said service, stop the said service. Therefore, seeing no other option at that moment since the said credit card was closed as told by the customer care representative of the OP, the complainant made the payment of Rs.3,500/- for the medical test of his son via PayTM at around 07:29 PM on the fateful day as the necessary cash was not carried at that moment and until the said payment was made by the complainant, he