Kochi: The Kerala State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has held that beneficiaries of the MEDISEP health insurance scheme can directly file complaints with the Consumer Commission, without being required to first complete the grievance redressal process set by the insurance company.

The District Commission had earlier ruled that the condition requiring a complaint related to MEDISEP to be taken to court only after attempting resolution through the three-tier grievance redressal mechanism was a violation of consumer rights. The insurance company had appealed against this ruling.

The case was initiated by retired headmaster C. D. Joy, who filed a complaint with the Ernakulam District Commission, alleging that he had been denied an insurance claim under the MEDISEP scheme. The insurance company argued that complaints must first be processed through its internal mechanism. However, the State Commission upheld the District Commission’s order and rejected the insurer's argument.

The ruling was delivered by a bench comprising State Commission President Justice B. Sudheendra Kumar and Judicial Member D. Ajith Kumar.