Noida: Three years after an ATM cash withdrawal failed during a power outage, a district consumer court has ordered Punjab National Bank (PNB) to refund Rs 10,000 to the customer along with interest and compensation.The complaint was filed by Mubarakpur resident Raman Lal on Jan 6, 2023. He told the commission that on Oct 3, 2022, at around 3:10 pm, he attempted to withdraw Rs 10,000 from an ICICI Bank ATM using his PNB debit card. However, after a power failure interrupted the transaction and no cash was dispensed, the amount was debited from his account. He received both a receipt and an SMS notification of the withdrawal.Lal filed a complaint with the PNB call centre at 5:39 pm the same day and was assured the issue would be resolved within 15 days. When the amount was not credited back, he filed another complaint on Oct 25, but received no resolution.“I also submitted an application to the PNB for CCTV footage of the day I tried to withdraw money but got no response,” he said. Additionally, he submitted photocopies of affidavits and other documents as documentary evidence in support of his complaint.Commission President Anil Kumar Pundir and member Anju Sharma passed an ex parte order on Monday after the bank failed to appear or file a written response despite being served notice.The commission ordered PNB’s Surajpur branch to refund Rs 10,000 to the complainant, with interest at 6% from Jan 6, 2023, the date the complaint was filed, until the payment was made. In addition, the bank was also directed to pay Rs 1,000 for mental anguish and another Rs 1,000 towards litigation costs.The commission noted that notices issued to the bank went unanswered, following which the ex parte proceedings began on Aug 12, 2024. “The complainant’s failure to receive the funds represents a deficiency in service on the part of the defendant. Therefore, the complainant’s complaint is admissible,” the commission ruled, further directing the bank to make the payments within 30 days.
