New Delhi, Nov. 4 (PTI): A Delhi consumer forum has asked telecom operator Idea Cellular to pay Rs 10,000 as compensation for giving a bill inflated by Rs 3.50.

“It is clearly a case where the respondent (telecom operator) is guilty of deficiency in service/unfair trade practice,” south Delhi consumer disputes redressal forum chief S.K. Tandon said. The forum also held the company guilty of generating the bill a week before the due date.

Allowing the complaint of Mohd Rashid Ansari, who had taken a mobile connection in April, 2004, the forum said the error of the company had caused “mental agony and harassment” to him.

The complaint had alleged that the company raised the bill on April 10, 2005 instead of April 17. The telecom operator had also inflated the due amount of Rs 26.25 by Rs 3.50.

The company did not rectify the mistake and disconnected the service after Ansari complained.