Is Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Ignoring IRDAI Timelines in Death Claim Settlements? New Delhi / International Desk | Jan 2025
A prolonged delay in the settlement of a life insurance death claim has raised serious concerns about Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Company Limited’s adherence to statutory claim-settlement timelines and regulatory obligations prescribed by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI).
According to documented correspondence reviewed by this news portal, the first formal death claim intimation email was sent on 24 October 2025, along with all mandatory supporting documents, including the policy document, attested death certificate, medical records, nominee identity proof, and banking details.
Despite the insurer issuing an auto case ID (133838280) and acknowledging the initiation of the claim process, the claimant alleges that the company’s claims department remained largely non-responsive for several weeks, even after repeated follow-ups and a formal grievance escalation.
IRDAI Claim Settlement Rules and Alleged Non-Compliance
Under IRDAI (Protection of Policyholders’ Interests) Regulations, 2017:
Regulation 8(2) mandates insurers to process claims promptly and seek any additional requirements within a reasonable and defined timeframe
Regulation 8(6) requires insurers to settle a claim within 30 days of receiving all relevant documents
Regulation 8(7) provides that delays beyond the prescribed period may attract interest liability payable to the claimant
In this case, emails sent on 24 October, 27 October, 29 October, 3 November, 7th November 2025 & later reportedly received no substantive response from the insurer’s claims team. No settlement communication, or written timeline was shared with the claimant.
Legal experts point out that silence or non-response does not meet the threshold of regulatory compliance, particularly in death claim matters, which IRDAI classifies as sensitive and time-critical.
Overseas Nominee and Digital Claims Gap
The claimant, based overseas, explicitly requested email-only communication due to the inability to visit an Indian branch — a request aligned with the insurer’s publicly promoted digital service framework. However, the absence of meaningful communication has highlighted persistent gaps between policy assurances and operational execution, especially for non-resident policyholders.
Grievance Redressal Mechanism Under Scrutiny
A formal escalation was submitted to the insurer’s grievance redressal office. Under IRDAI (Grievance Redressal) Regulations, 2017 – Regulation 14, insurers are required to:
Acknowledge grievances promptly
Resolve them within 30 days
Provide reasoned responses if resolution is delayed
Despite this statutory obligation, the grievance escalation reportedly remained unanswered.
Why This Matters
Consumer rights advocates warn that prolonged delays in death claims not only cause financial hardship but also violate the spirit of policyholder protection laws. Life insurance, they argue, is fundamentally a contract of trust — and failure to respond during bereavement undermines that trust.
As of publication, there has been no documented resolution or official response from Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance regarding this claim.