Hyderabad: The Hyderabad District Consumer Commission-II has imposed a penalty on the Postal Department for negligence in handling registered legal notices and directed it to pay compensation to a complainant.
The commission ordered the department to pay Rs 15,000 as compensation and Rs 5,000 towards litigation costs to N Mohan Reddy, a resident of Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district.
Complaint details
According to the complaint, Mohan Reddy was injured in a road accident in February 2020 and was admitted to a private hospital in Hayathnagar. Doctors allegedly informed him that six of his ribs were fractured and advised surgery costing around Rs 4 lakh. However, after seeking a second medical opinion elsewhere, he was reportedly told that there were no fractures.
Suspecting that the hospital had issued a misleading medical report to extract money, Mohan Reddy sent legal notices to the hospital management through registered post.
The dispute arose when the postman delivering the notices allegedly allowed hospital staff to open and inspect the envelopes. The notices were later returned to the sender marked as “unclaimed.”
Mohan Reddy subsequently approached the consumer commission, alleging negligence by the Postal Department. Upon examining the returned envelopes, the commission found evidence of tampering, observing that the covers appeared to have been opened and later reattached using staples.
Medical negligence allegations against hospital dismissed
A bench comprising Commission President Vakkanti Narasimha Rao and members Parupalli Jawahar Babu and Sridevi dismissed the medical negligence allegations against the hospital, stating that there was insufficient evidence to prove the charge.
However, the commission held postal officials responsible for deficiency in service and directed the Postal Department to compensate the complainant. It also instructed the State Chief Postmaster General to take strict measures to ensure postal staff adhere to established rules and procedures while handling registered correspondence.
