Consumer Commission Orders New India Assurance to Pay Rs 52.6 Lakh for 2011 Restaurant Fire

A consumer commission has directed New India Assurance to pay Rs 52.6 lakh to a restaurant owner whose establishment was destroyed by fire in 2011. The owner had filed a complaint after the insurer settled his claim for a significantly lower amount than expected. The commission reviewed the case and found that the insurer's method of calculating depreciation was unjustified. It ruled that the original settlement was inadequate and ordered the full compensation to be paid. The verdict comes nearly 15 years after the fire first gutted the restaurant.