Forum penalises educational consultancy

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, jan 24, 2013 : The Dakshina Kannada District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has asked an educational consultancy firm to refund Rs. 1 lakh to a consumer who paid the amount for securing a Bachelor of Ayurveda, Medicine and Survey (BAMS) seat and pay damages of Rs. 50,000 besides the litigation cost of Rs. 2,000.

Judgment

In a recent judgment, the Forum found that the Attavar-based Josco Educational Consultancy and its Thrissur branch had taken Rs. 1.49 lakh from complainant Sanjavan T.V., of Nattikal in Thrissur district, to secure a seat for his daughter along with her original certificates in 2011.

Noting that the DD for Rs. 49,000 was returned to the complainant during the pendency of the case, it has asked them to refund Rs. 1 lakh.

Mr. Sanjayan had approached the opposite parties following their advertisements and sought a BAMS seat in a reputed college in Mangalore.

Notice

When he was not happy with the infrastructure in a Moodbidri-based college, Mr. Sanjayan sought a refund of the money in August 2011, and later sent a legal notice. He said that because of their failure to return the original certificates and the money, his daughter had lost an academic year. The opposite parties contended that the complainant had paid only Rs.49,000 by way of D.D. not Rs.1.49 lakh as claimed.

The receipt for Rs. 1.49 lakh had been manipulated, they alleged. Refusing to accept that the receipt was manipulated or concocted, Mr. Sanjavan pointed out that opposite parties had acknowledged the payment of Rs. 1.49 lakh by way of a document.

Unfair

He said that opposite parties had adopted an unfair trade practice by retaining the original documents of the student who lost one year for which the opposite parties were liable to pay adequate compensation to the complainant apart from refunding Rs. 1 lakh paid in cash.

 

Courtesy: The Hindu