STATE CONSUMER DISPUTES REDRESSAL COMMISSION, PUNJAB, CHANDIGARH.

Date of institution : 07.08.2025 Reserved on : 26.12.2025 Date of Decision : 08.01.2026 LIC Housing Finance Ltd., through its Branch Manager at SCO 125 A, District Shopping Complex, Ranji Avenue , Opposite Improvement Trust Building, Amritsar, Punjab.

….Appellant/Opposite Party Versus

1. Dalbir Singh aged about 60 years S/o Harbans Singh S/o Amar Singh.

2. Jawinder Kaur, aged about 60 years W/o Dalbir Singh.

Both residents of VPO Ramdas, Tehsil Ajnala, District Amritsar.

….…Respondents/Complainants First Appeal under Section 41 of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 against the order dated 23.06.2025 passed by the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission Amritsar in CC No.292 of 2020.

Quorum:-

Hon’ble Mrs. Justice Daya Chaudhary, President Ms. Simarjot Kaur, Member Mr. Vishav Kant Garg, Member

1) Whether Reporters of the Newspapers may be allowed to see the Judgment? Yes/No

2) To be referred to the Reporters or not? Yes/No

3) Whether judgment should be reported in the Digest?

Yes/No Present:-

For the appellant : Sh.Atul Goyal, Advocate For the respondents : Sh.Sukhandeep Singh, Advocate (through VC)

SIMARJOT KAUR, MEMBER :

The Appellant/Opposite Party i.e. LIC Housing Finance Ltd., has filed the present Appeal before this Commission to challenge the impugned order dated 23.06.2025 passed by the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Amritsar (in short, “the District Commission”), whereby the Complaint filed by the Complainants had been allowed

2. It would be apposite to mention here that hereinafter the parties will be referred, as were arrayed before the District Commission.

3. Briefly, the facts of the case as made out by the Complainant in the Complaint filed before the District Commission are that the Complainants were having Loan account No.14506002123 with the OP. They had obtained residential loan of an amount of Rs.2,50,000/- to construct a new house in the year 2004. Said loan was sanctioned on 08.03.2004 @ 7.5%. The term of the loan was 15 years i.e. 180 months. The premium for the said loan was Rs.2492/- per month. The Complainants had regularly been paid the premium for the said loan. Earlier the premium was paid through cheque thereafter it was paid through ECS from the bank. The loan was to be completed by 08.03.2019. The OP had received the installments through ECS every month till 08.06.2020. It was alleged that the OP had received 15 extra installments which added upto an amount of Rs.37380/-. When the Complainants learnt about the extra amount received by the OP, they had immediately visited the bank and stopped payment through ECS. Thereafter, they went to enquire about the extra installment from the office of the OP as their loan was to be completed by 08.03.2019 but the OPs had received an amount of Rs.37,380/- in excess. They wanted to know the reason thereof. The OP had informed them that the interest levied on the loan amount had increased from 7.5% to 11.95%. The loan amount with increase of interest was to be completed in the year 2023. They were further informed that still an amount of Rs.84160/- was payable by them. The Complainants were shocked to know about the increase in rate of interest as the interest had been settled @7.5%. It was even more shocking when they were told that in case they apply for a fresh loan then an interest rate @ 6.90% would be levied per annum. All their pleadings/explanation before the higher officials of the OP were not addressed. The Complainants had paid approximately double the amount of loan procured by them i.e. Rs.4,85,940/-.

4. Hence, the act of the OP was stated to be a case of ‘deficiency in service’ and ‘unfair trade practice’. Therefore, the Complaint was filed by the Complainants with the prayer to issue directions to the OP to refund an amount of Rs.37,380/- illegally received through ECS along with interest @ 22% p.a. w.e.f. 08.03.2019. Further, the OP be directed to issue ‘No Due Certificate’