Festive Season, Amritsar's Dhaba Food

Diwali's just got over. Hope all of you had a festive start to November. It's the month of festivals, holidays and for me, lots of traveling. The year 2013 didn't bring me too many tours but startlingly towards the end, it looks like I will be traveling a lot more frequently all the way till May 2014. Exciting challenges ahead for the entire team at Axess Legal Corp, lots of work coming up for us and many meetings to attend.

Flip side is this: Will be frequently away from home and especially from my son, who finds it very difficult (and vice versa) when I am not around to play cricket and other rough games with him. He's at that age when he wants to act like a man and idolizes all that I do. It's tough every time to leave him behind but there's no greater satisfaction than seeing his eyes light up with absolute joy when he sees that I am back home. Till the next weekend, that is! 

Travel, for me, is more like a culture and food trail. Amritsar is perfect for this. Here's one delicious Amritsar dhaba thali that I quite enjoyed.

What's the festive season been like for you? Are you all set to ring in 2014? Tell me about it...or better still, lets trade New Year resolutions next!

Free Legal Advice on Credit Cards: Are you liable to pay for your bank's mistake?

If you use credit cards for your transactions, this free legal advice may be useful to you.  Recently, a young IT professional came to me with a query regarding credit cards. He was issued a credit card by Bank X and a sum of Rs 8,000 was wrongly debited against the said card. Immediately, he informed the bank and the bank promised to reverse the debit. Following this mix up, he stopped using the card. So far, the story runs smooth. 

Here comes the glitch. Two years down the lane, he receives a credit card statement for Rs.32,000! He sought the bank's assistance to get the full credit card statement to understand how this happened, given that he hadn't used the credit card since the mix-up he had reported officially to the bank. 

Free Legal Advice for using Credit Cards

What's the way forward? Keep these simple legal tips in mind while using credit cards:

1.  If a wrong debit has been reversed as per the Bank's communication to the customer, the bank should have reversed the interest as well as other charges that was levied on the first amount. 

2. The important thing is that the customer should have conducted an immediate follow up to get a detailed statement of the reversal of charges. 

3. Simply not using the credit card was not enough - that didn't help, did it? Besides, where's the legal closure that one needs to show in terms of proof of communication and subsequent action from the bank?

Free Legal Advice: How to leverage Code of Bank's Commitment to the Customer 

 As a customer who feels wronged, the first point of contact is the bank's nodal officer whereby one can explain what happened and request the mistake to be rectified. If required, you have to go through the provisions of  The Code of Bank's Commitment to the Customer. This Code specifically states that it will provide a credit card statement to the card holder every month free of cost at the mailing address as per the bank's records. It also states that in the event of non-receipt of information, the bank will resend the details when a request is received from the card holder. 

Free Legal Advice: How to send copy of communication to RBI Customer Service Dept

In writing, bring this to the notice of the bank and send a copy of your communication with the timeline and details to the customer service department of the Reserve Bank of India. If you receive no reply or follow up, you can directly file a complaint with the Banking Ombudsman in your state. 

Places to shop in Kochi: Nucleus Mall in Maradu

My son and I like to spend time in Nucleus Mall, which is in Maradu, Kochi. The mall is very clean, attracts a decent crowd of college going students, families and kids. You can find some good retail shops like Max here and the surprise factor is this: the clothes range for men and kids is far better than the Max shop in Delhi. If you are looking to buy gifts for your family members, this is a good place to check out. 

Other attractions of Nucleus Mall include the well- managed Food Court with a free play zone area for kids, a DC books showroom that is a must-visit space for those of you who enjoy reading good quality books be it fiction or non fiction and last but perhaps the most important one, don't miss the 6 D movie center that plays 3 to 12 minute short movies. The overall effect and feel of these movies are fantastic. You are sure to enjoy the unexpected surprises that come your way as you watch the films.

Which is your favorite place in the city where you like to chill out with your family and simply have a good time? Write in:)

Eating out in Fort Kochi: Good times are back!

OK, so we are waiting for our food to be placed on the table. 

Once upon a time, having food on the table meant everything. It was a sign of abundance, of having survived and triumphed against the odds. But now, that has changed. More than water or food, we are dependent on gadgets such as our cell phones, tablets, etc for our survival and children are no exception. 

Fact of life as you can see below: In fact, ask any parent. Kids are the new generation experts on gadgets!

Eating out in Fort Kochi: Oceanos offers plenty of tasty treats

Summer vacation is when I head out with my family to Kerala. Here comes the best part: eating out in Fort Kochi. We enjoyed the monsoons to the fullest, took risks by heading out to the beaches when it rained hard and the waves crashed on to the shore. My seven year old loved every moment of this, so did I.

After a full day of sight seeing around Fort Kochi, we stepped into this restaurant called Oceanos at about three o clock noon. It was warm, inviting and we plonked ourselves into its cozy atmosphere at once.

Oceanos has some awards to its credit too. It has many tourists and travelers dropping in. This was our first experience there and we enjoyed the relaxing, homely atmosphere there.

Where did you go during this summer vacation? How did you enjoy it? Do drop a line and keep me posted.

Free Legal Advice on Indian Disability Laws

Legal experts and eminent jurists have often pointed out to a glaring void in the Indian Constitution, which we all view as the most comprehensive and voluminous among constitutions of the world. Are you wondering what it is?

The glaring miss is that the Indian Constitution did not incorporate provisions that are specific and necessary for the education and rehabilitation of disabled persons in India.

As per the report of the National Sample Survey Organization 2002 on 'Disabled Persons in India,' 55% persons with disabilities were illiterate. In a democratic country like India, this is an unacceptable fact and a glaring social lapse. 

While eminent social and legal activists have called upon the need for mainstreaming disabled children into the general education system in India, we still have far to go before it can be a reality. Inclusive education remains more of a vision on whitepapers and a top agenda on school board meetings but very few educational institutions in the country move forward on implementing this.

The following are some of the disability related laws in India:

The Mental Health Act 1987

This law pertains to the treatment and care of mentally ill persons, to make better provision with respect to their property and affairs and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

The Rehabilitation Council Act of India (RCI, 1992)

This disability related law provides for the constitution of the Rehabilitation Council of India for regulating the training of rehab professionals and also for maintaining a Central Rehabilitation Register and other related issues.

The Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Full Participation and Protection Rights) Act of 1995

This disability related law stipulates to set up a Central Coordination Committee and a Central Executive Committee at the national level, besides other things such as appointment of various functionaries throughout different states to ensure implementation of its provisions.

The National Trust (For Welfare of Persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation and Multiple Disabilities) Act 1999

This Trust aims to provide total care to persons who suffer from mental retardation, cerebral palsy and autism. The Trust supports programmes that promotes the independence and addresses the concern of special persons who have no means of family support. 

What are your thoughts on India's disability laws? Are they effective or toothtless? What social or legal initiatives can help us move forward on its implementations? Are there any interesting case laws from across the world that we can take inspiration from?

It would be great to hear your thoughts on this. Do write in to me. 

Bank Savings Account: What happens when it is inactive

This is a query that I get a lot from frustrated bank customers. Complaints range from "I have balance in my savings account but suddenly the bank made it inoperative" to "I never took a rupee from my savings account, how dare the bank make it inactive and now I cannot take a single paisa from it?"

Lets go through some basic facts relating to bank savings accounts and the laws that concern them:

1.As per RBI guidelines for both current and savings accounts, these are treated as inoperative if no transaction is conducted in a span of two years. In such cases, cheque book request, address change or ATM debit/credit card renewal will not be facilitated or activated by the bank.

2. Suppose a customer changed location, that will not make his savings account inoperative per se. All he needs to do is to contact his bank, provide the account details of his new bank account and get the balance transferred. The typical practice is to make sure that due diligence is conducted by the bank before facilitating the needful.

3. Even after a savings account turns inoperative, the interest will be credited to the said account on a regular basis. 

4. To start with, you have to act swiftly, write to the bank and ask for a written response as to why your savings bank account has been rendered inactive. The earlier you initiate the communication process, the better it is to build your case.