Consumer court rules in favour of duped jobseeker

The Mumbai consumer disputes redressal forum has ordered Chembur-based firm, Sevenseas Airports and Seaports Management Services, to refund money with interest to a jobseeker who was made to go through several expensive procedures on the pretext of giving him the job of a storekeeper. In an ex-parte order, the firm was asked to pay Samandhan Aamte Rs 60,452, which included Rs 20,000 as compensation and Rs 5,000 for legal costs.

“The Opponent failed to secure employment for the complainant and caused financial loss, on the pretext of buying a form, medical check-up and charges for buying some CDs. He was also asked not to call (enquire) for another job, which amounts to unfair trade practice,” the forum president SD Madake and member SV Kalal observed.

According to his complaint, Aamte was looking for a job when he came across a newspaper advertisement issued by Sevenseas. He visited their office and was selected for the post of a storekeeper. He was then asked to purchase a form for Rs 200 and submit it along with documents proving his educational qualifications. He was told by another employee that this was a ‘golden opportunity’ for him. During his interview, they had also promised to pay him Rs 50,000 a month as remuneration. Aamte, at their behest, then underwent a medical check-up at his own cost at Rs 7,000. He was also directed to pay Rs 26,068 for a set of CDs. He was then asked to wait for 75 to 100 days for the company to get back to him and instructed not to call them in the interim. When he did not receive a call from them, he applied for a refund and got back only Rs 16,000.

The firm never turned up to any of the court’s hearings. After hearing Aamte’s side, the court passed an order in his favour. “We hold that the complainant was subjected to wrongful loss by the Opponent. We hold the Opponent guilty for deficiency of service and adopting unfair trade practices. The Complainant is entitled for refund of amount paid by him,” the forum observed.

Doctor left surgical sponge inside uterus; ordered to pay over Rs 2 lakh

The Gujarat State Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission has upheld a Surat consumer court’s decision ordering a gynaecologist to pay over Rs 2 lakh to a patient for forgetting a surgical sponge in her uterus after a caesarean in 2003. The consumer court in Surat had held the doctor responsible for negligence and ruled that the patient be compensated for the same.

As per the details of the case, a resident of Olpad, Parulben Thakor was admitted to Dr Heena Parikh’s hospital in Surat for delivery on January 23, 2003. The next day, the doctor informed the patient’s relatives that there was some complication and a caesarean operation was required for delivery of the baby. A daughter was born to Thakor.

Three days after the surgery, the woman started feeling severe pain in her abdomen and began bleeding profusely. Dr Parikh took help of other doctors to treat her. The patient was discharged in the first week of February. But her pain did not subside and she was operated again in April by another doctor in presence of four other doctors.

During the second surgery, a piece of surgical sponge was recovered from patient's abdomen. The patient later had to undergo a third surgery. Subsequently, she approached the consumer court and demanded compensation.