The District Consumer Commission has taken a strong step in an old case involving Bank of Baroda’s Bhadohi branch. The commission has written a letter to the District Magistrate (DM) and issued a notice against the branch manager of the bank, requesting that an amount of ₹2,18,422 be recovered from him.
This case began in 2007 when Baijnath Vishwakarma, a resident of Khetalpur Ucheta, filed a complaint with the District Consumer Commission. He explained that he had deposited ₹40,000 in a fixed deposit under a savings scheme at the Bank of Baroda’s Bhadohi branch. Unfortunately, his original Fixed Deposit Receipt (FDR) was lost. He informed the bank about the loss, and the bank provided him with a duplicate FDR. Baijnath continued renewing his deposit regularly as per the usual process.
However, in 2007, when he went to the bank to withdraw his money using the FDR, the bank refused to pay and claimed that the amount had already been paid earlier. Shocked by this, Baijnath repeatedly complained to the bank, but no action was taken to resolve the issue. Left with no other option, he approached the District Consumer Commission for justice.
In 2009, after hearing the case, the Consumer Commission ruled in Baijnath’s favor. The commission ordered the bank to pay him ₹65,007 along with 7% interest. In addition, the bank was fined ₹5,000 for its negligence. However, instead of accepting the decision, the bank challenged the order in the State Consumer Commission.
After years of delay, on 26 September 2024, the State Commission finally dismissed the bank’s appeal, upholding the original decision of the District Commission. Following this, District Consumer Commission Chairman Sanjay Kumar Day and member Vijay Bahadur Singh issued a recovery order against the branch manager of Bank of Baroda’s Station Road, Bhadohi branch. They also instructed that the recovery should be done in the same way as the government collects land revenue—meaning it should be treated as a serious, enforceable recovery.
Now, the District Magistrate has been directed to ensure the recovery of ₹2,18,422 from the branch manager so that the consumer finally gets the justice and money he has waited for over 17 years.
