Harassment in settlement of insurance claims ground for compensation, not criminal offence

Harassment faced by a client during the approval of insurance claims in a hospital can be a ground for seeking compensation but does not amount to a criminal offence, the Delhi High Court has said.

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NEW DELHI:

The court, at the same time, said patients frequently suffered harassment in the settlement of final bills and the issue of smoothening settlement of bills and discharge of patients should be taken up by authorities. Justice Neena Bansal Krishna made the observations while dealing with a lawyer's plea against a sessions court order refusing to uphold the summons issued to a private hospital here by a magisterial court on his complaint.

The lawyer, who had undergone surgery at the private hospital in 2013, accused it of cheating, misappropriation of funds and wrongful restraint.