Any legal heir can pursue case after consumer's demise

The law is well settled that a legal heir can pursue a complaint upon the death of the original complainant.

- JEHANGIR B GAI

The problem is that legal heirs can be classified into categories, raising the question of which category of legal heir would be entitled to carry on the proceedings. This interesting point of law came up before the National Commission and was later carried to the Delhi High Court.

Shambhu Nath Thakur, an engineer who graduated from BITS Pilani, worked as a general manager at Texmaco Ltd. He suffered from hypertension and later developed multiple black patches on his skin that started bleeding. He was advised to undergo various tests and investigations, which revealed that his platelet count was extremely low. He was rushed to Apollo Gleneagles Hospital in Kolkata, but the hospital delayed admission until an advance payment was made. He was not given any treatment or platelet transfusion. He died on April 9, 2010.