Jewellers who keep their precious wares in steel almirahs will lose their insurance cover if the items are not kept in a safe with a complex locking system. If there is a burglary, the insurer can repudiate the claim. The National Consumer Commission stated so and allowed the appeal of National Insurance Company against the order of the Maharashtra State consumer commission. In this case, a burglar stole Rs. 3 million worth of ornaments from Mehta Jewellery. When a claim was made, the company rejected it contending that the ornaments were kept in a steel almirah of local make at all times. “The State commission rejected the argument and awarded damages to the jeweler observing that there is nothing like a burglar-proof safe. The insurer appealed to the National Consumer Commission. It went into the dictionary meaning of ‘safe’ and concluded that a simple steel almirah can very well be opened by widening the space between doors. A steel almirah with a single lever lock cannot be treated as a ‘locked safe’, and the terms of the policy must be read in a strict manner.
