Vegetarian policyholder denied Rs 1 lakh mediclaim after stroke; insurer said his diet led to B12 deficiency behind the illness; court orders company to pay him Rs 1.1 lakh

An Ahmedabad district consumer commission has ordered New India Assurance to pay a Rs 1.06 lakh mediclaim it had denied after blaming the policyholder's vegetarian diet for his vitamin B12 deficiency, which led to a transient ischaemic attack. The commission ruled that being vegetarian could not be treated as the patient's fault, and ordered the insurer to pay the claim with 9 percent interest since October 2016, along with Rs 5,000 as compensation for mental agony and legal costs.