The Important guidelines contained in IRDA (Protection of Policyholders Interests) Regulations, 2002

The Important guidelines contained in IRDA (Protection of Policyholders Interests) Regulations, 2002 are as under:

9. Claim procedure in respect of a general insurance policy (1) An insured or the claimant shall give notice to the insurer of any loss arising under contract of insurance at the earliest or within such extended time as may be allowed by the insurer. On receipt of such a communication, a general insurer shall respond immediately and give clear indication to the insured on the procedures that he should follow. In cases where a surveyor has to be appointed for assessing a loss/ claim, it shall be so done within 72 hours of the receipt of intimation from the insured.

(2) Where the insured is unable to furnish all the particulars required by the surveyor or where the surveyor does not receive the full cooperation of the insured, the insurer or the surveyor as the case may be, shall inform in writing the insured about the delay that may result in the assessment of the claim. The surveyor shall be subjected to the code of conduct laid down by the Authority while assessing the loss, and shall communicate his findings to the insurer within 30 days of his appointment with a copy of the report being furnished to the insured, if he so desires. Where, in special circumstances of the case, either due to its special and complicated nature, the surveyor shall under intimation to the insured, seek an extension from the insurer for submission of his report. In no case shall a surveyor take more than six months from the date of his appointment to furnish his report.

 (3) If an insurer, on the receipt of a survey report, finds that it is incomplete in any respect, he shall require the surveyor under intimation to the insured, to furnish an additional report on certain specific issues as may be required by the insurer. Such a request may be made by the insurer within 15 days of the receipt of the original survey report. Provided that the facility of calling for an additional report by the insurer shall not be resorted to more than once in the case of a claim.

 (4) The surveyor on receipt of this communication shall furnish an additional report within three weeks of the date of receipt of communication from the insurer.

 (5) On receipt of the survey report or the additional survey report, as the case may be, an insurer shall within a period of 30 days offer a settlement of the claim to the insured. If the insurer, for any reasons to be recorded in writing and communicated to the insured, decides to reject a claim under the policy, it shall do so within a period of 30 days from the receipt of the survey report or the additional survey report, as the case may be.

(6) Upon acceptance of an offer of settlement as stated in subregulation (5) by the insured, the payment of the amount due shall be made within 7 days from the date of acceptance of the offer by the insured. In the cases of delay in the payment, the insurer shall be liable to pay interest at a rate which is 2% above the bank rate prevalent at the beginning of the financial year in which the claim is reviewed by it.

Section 37 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act 1996

CHAPTER IX

 APPEALS 37.

 Appealable orders.

 1. An appeal shall lie from the following orders (and from no others) to the Court authorised by law to hear appeals from original decrees of the Court passing the order, namely :- (a). granting or refusing to grant any measure under section 9; (b). setting aside or refusing to set aside an arbitral award under section 34.

 2. An appeal shall also lie to a court from an order of the arbitral tribunal- (a). accepting the plea referred to in sub-section (2) or subsection (3) of section 16; or (b). granting or refusing to grant an interim measure under section 17.

 3. No second appeal shall lie from an order passed in appeal under this section, but nothing in this section shall affect or take away any right to appeal to the Supreme Court.

Meaning of Commercial Disputes as Secion 2 of the Commercial Courts, Commercial Division and Commercial Appellate Division of High Courts Ordinance, 2015

2. (1) In this Ordinance, unless the context otherwise requires,- (c) "commercial dispute" means a dispute arising out of-

(i) ordinary transaction of merchants, bankers, financiers and trade such as those relation to mercantile documents, including enforcement and interpretation of such documents;

 (ii) export or import of merchandise or services;

 (iii) issues relating to admiralty and maritime law;

 (iv) transactions relating to aircraft, aircraft engines, aircraft equipment and helicopters, including sales, leasing and financing of the same;

(v) carriage of goods; (vi) construction and infrastructure contracts, including tenders;

 (vii) agreements relating to immovable property used exclusively in trade or commerce;

 (viii) franchising agreements;

(ix) distribution and licensing agreements;

 (x) management and consultancy agreements;

 (xi) joint venture agreements;

 (xii) shareholders agreements;

(xiii) subscription and investment agreements pertaining to the service industry including outsourcing services and financial services;

 (xiv) mercantile agency and mercantile usage;

(xv) partnership agreements; (xvi) technology development agreements;

 (xvii) intellectual property rights relating to registered and unregistered trademarks, copyright, patent, design, domain names, geographical indications and semiconductor integrated circuits;

 (xviii) agreements for sale of goods or provision of services;

 (xix) exploitation of oil and gas reserves or other natural resources including electromagnetic spectrum; (xx) insurance and re-insurance;

 (xxi) contracts of agency relating to any of the above; and

 (xxii) such other commercial disputes as may be notified by the Central Government. Explanation.- A commercial dispute shall not cease to be a commercial dispute merely because- (a) it also involves action for recovery of immovable property or for realisation of monies out of immovable property given as security or involves any other relief pertaining to immovable property; (b) one of the contracting parties is the State or any of its agencies or instrumentalities, or a private body carrying out public functions.

Section 15 of the Commercial Courts, Commercial Division and Commercial Appellate Division of High Courts Ordinance, 2015

15.(1) All suits and applications, including applications under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996, relating to a commercial dispute of Specified Value pending in a High Court where a Commercial Division has been constituted, shall be transferred to the Commercial Division.

(2) All suits and applications, including applications under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996, relating to a commercial dispute of Specified Value pending in any civil Court in any district or area in respect of which a Commercial Court has been constituted, shall be transferred to such Commercial Court: Provided that no suit or application where the final judgment has been reserved by the Court prior to the constitution of the Commercial Division or the Commercial Court shall be transferred either under sub-Section (1) of sub-Section (2).

(3) Where any suit or application, including an application under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996, relating to a commercial dispute of Specified Value shall stand transferred to the Commercial Division or Commercial Court under sub Section (1) or sub-Section (2), the provisions of this Ordinance shall apply to those procedures that were not complete at the time of transfer.

 (4) The Commercial Division or Commercial Court, as the case may be, may hold case management hearings in respect of such transferred suit or application in order to prescribe new timelines or issue such further directions as may be necessary for a speedy and efficacious disposal of such suit or application in accordance with Order XIV-A of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908: Provided that the proviso to sub-rule (1) of Rule 1 of Order V of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 shall not apply to such transferred suit or application and the court may, in its discretion, prescribe a new time period within which the written statement must be filed.

 (5) In the event that such suit or application is not transferred in the manner specified in such-section (1), subsection (2) or sub-Section (3), the Commercial Appellate Division of the High Court may, on the application of any of the parties to the suit, withdraw such suit or application from the court before which it is pending and transfer the same for trial or disposal to the Commercial Division or Commercial Court, as the case may be, having territorial jurisdiction over such suit, and such order of transfer shall be final and binding.

Section 10 of the Commercial Courts, Commercial Division and Commercial Appellate Division of High Courts Ordinance, 2015

Section 10  of the Commercial Courts, Commercial Division and Commercial Appellate Division of High Courts Ordinance, 2015

10. Whereas the subject matter of an arbitration is a commercial dispute of a Specified Value and –

(1) If such arbitration is an international commercial arbitration, all applications or appeals arising out of such arbitration under the provisions of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 that have been filed in a High Court, shall be heard and disposed of by the Commercial Appellate Division where such Commercial Appellate Division has been constituted in such High Court.

 (2) If such arbitration is other than an international commercial arbitration, all applications or appeals arising out of such arbitration under the provisions of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 that have been filed on the original side of the High Court, shall be heard and disposed of by the Commercial Appellate Division where such Commercial Appellate Division has been constituted in such High Court.

 (3) If such arbitration is other than an international commercial arbitration, all applications or appeals arising out of such arbitration under the provisions of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 that would ordinarily lie before any principal civil court of original jurisdiction in a district (not being a High Court) shall be filed in, and heard and disposed of by the Commercial Court exercising territorial jurisdiction over such arbitration where such Commercial Court has been constituted.