Karachi (HRNW)- The Consumer Protection Court of Karachi has imposed a fine of Rs 15,000 on Al Habib Bank in a case filed against ATM malfunction and mental anguish to the customer.
According to the court, the seizure of the customer’s card due to ATM malfunction and despite this, the deduction of service charges falls under the category of reduction in service. The petitioner, Faraz Fahim Advocate, took the stand that during an attempt to withdraw money in 2019, the ATM neither issued the money nor returned the card, as a result of which he had to face embarrassment, mental anguish and professional difficulties.
The court held that although the withdrawn money and service charges were later returned to the customer, this does not compensate for the mental anguish, professional disruption and loss of time. Therefore, the court directed the bank to pay Rs 15,000 as damages to the petitioner.
On the other hand, the bank’s lawyer took the position that the petitioner’s complaint falls under the Banking Laws and the Payment Systems and Electronic Fund Transfer Act, 2007 and is outside the jurisdiction of the Consumer Court. However, the court rejected this position and ruled in favor of the consumer.
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