In Brief
A vessel owner claimed for total loss of a marine insured vessel that allegedly sank in the Arabian Sea due to bad weather and rough tides on 30 May 2011. The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission allowed the claim, citing the insurer's unreasonable delay in processing and repudiating it. The Supreme Court held that while delay in claim settlement may be a factor in proving deficiency in service, it cannot be the sole ground for allowing a fundamentally doubtful claim. The owner's account had internal contradictions (times of distress call versus rescue differed in crew statements versus Marine Casualty Report) and was contradicted by meteorological records showing fair weather. The Court set aside the Commission's order, holding that consumer forums cannot allow claims based on sketchy pleadings without categorical evidence, and remitted the case on the factual merits.
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