MATHURA, 17 Aug: The family of 63-year-old Dr. Rajendra Kumar Varshney has alleged that the postal department has failed to comply with the May 23, 2026 order of the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Mathura, and has not paid the amount directed by the Commission in a case involving the alleged fraudulent closure of his post office savings account.
"However, despite the judgment having been passed, the concerned department has, to date, not complied with the decree or repaid the amount directed by the Consumer Commission. The continued non-compliance with the judicial order raises serious questions regarding the implementation of consumer-court judgments and accountability within the concerned department," a family member said.
The family said it is now seeking compliance with the Commission's order and payment of the amount awarded.
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Mathura, had held the postal department responsible for serious deficiency in service in connection with the alleged fraudulent closure of Dr. Varshney's Monthly Income Scheme (MIS) account.
According to the complaint and findings recorded by the Commission, Ranjana Singh, the then Sub Postmaster at
Chaukham Sub Post Office, Namsai, Arunachal Pradesh, allegedly forged Dr. Varshney's signatures and prematurely closed his MIS Account No. 1049, which contained ?4,00,500. The amount was allegedly transferred to Account No. 2580 in the name of her daughter.
The alleged unauthorised closure also affected Dr. Varshney's linked Recurring Deposit (RD) Account No. 63043, into which ?2,800 from the MIS account was automatically credited every month. According to the complainant, the RD account was subsequently treated as closed after the MIS account was unauthorisedly closed.
A departmental inquiry was conducted following the complaint, while Crime No. 127/16 was registered at Namsai police station under Sections 409, 420, 467 and 471 of the IPC and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The criminal case was subsequently transferred to the CBI.
The Consumer Commission observed that the MIS account had not been voluntarily closed by Dr. Varshney and held that the postal department could not treat the transaction as an ordinary premature closure and impose a 2% deduction. The Commission found the conduct recorded in the case to amount to serious deficiency in service, negligence and unfair trade practice.
The Commission directed the postal authorities, jointly and severally, to pay ?2,08,467, representing the maturity amount of the RD account, and ?8,010 towards the amount that remained unpaid due to the deduction from the MIS account. The total amount of ?2,16,477 was ordered to carry simple interest at 5% per annum from April 8, 2018, until actual payment.
The Commission also awarded ?50,000 as compensation for deficiency in service, negligence, fraudulent conduct and mental harassment, along with ?25,000 towards litigation costs.
The order directed the postal authorities to make the payment within 45 days of receiving the certified copy of the judgment. It also ordered the department to record the MIS account as "Unauthorized/Fraudulent Premature Closure," treat the RD account as a regularly matured account and correct the relevant records within 60 days.
The complaint had been filed against five postal authorities: the Secretary, Union of India through the Department of Posts, New Delhi; Chief Postmaster General, North East Circle, Shillong; Director, Postal Services, Arunachal Pradesh Postal Division, Itanagar; Head Postmaster, Arunachal Pradesh Postal Division, Itanagar; and Sub Postmaster, Chaukham Sub Post Office, Namsai, Arunachal Pradesh.