A nine-year battle over a defective Maruti Swift has ended with the Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court stepping in to sharply raise the damages owed to a frustrated car owner.
The buyer, Arun Tandon of Jammu, had driven straight into trouble after purchasing the diesel Swift in 2014. What should have been smooth rides turned into an endless carousel of service-center visits—eighteen in two years—plagued by recurring defects in the horn and battery.
After years of wrangling through consumer forums and commissions, the High Court finally ruled that Maruti Suzuki and its dealers must collectively pay him ₹1.65 lakh, well above the ₹65,000 earlier ordered.
Breaking down the liability, the court directed Maruti Suzuki to bear the larger chunk of ₹1 lakh, while Peaks Auto Pvt. Ltd. and Jammu Motors Pvt. Ltd. must each pay ₹32,500. The payment has to be made within a month, failing which the amount will carry 6% annual interest until cleared.
The bench, noting Tandon never pressed for a replacement during the warranty period, declined to order a new car but made clear that the earlier compensation was “on the lower side” given the harassment and repeated inconvenience suffered.
With this ruling, the long-drawn dispute over a defective hatchback finds closure, though not before highlighting how consumer rights can get entangled in years of litigation before justice arrives.