Car maker ordered to pay Rs 5 lakh compensation after vehicle catches fire

New Delhi: The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has directed an Indian subsidiary of a Czech Republic-based automobile manufacturer to pay Rs 5 lakh compensation to a man whose car allegedly caught fire 14 years ago.

The Maharashtra-based man claimed that in May 2007, while his brother and his family were returning from Rampuri to Nagpur, the driver noticed smoke coming out from the car's bonnet, following which the car began blazing and burnt within 20-25 minutes.

The man averred that he suffered a loss of Rs 15 lakh, out of which, the insurance company made a settlement of Rs 10,99,000. He then filed a complaint seeking compensation of Rs 1 crore from the car manufacturer for the mental agony.