Haryana Urban Development Authority vs Smt. Suman Bansal

The Supreme Court held that interest at the rate of 18% per annum cannot be uniformly granted in consumer cases, as established in Ghaziabad Development Authority vs. Balbir Singh (2004) 5 SCC 65. The Court emphasized that compensation for mental agony must correlate with proven loss or injury, and that consumer forums must determine deficiency in service or misfeasance in public office. The Court maintained the District Forum's award of interest at 15% per annum and directed that future compensation should consider escalation in construction costs.