New Delhi, June 2 -- In April 2026, the Karnataka high court presided over by Justice Sachin Shankar Magadum, held that the insurance ombudsman cannot deny a complainant the right to engage an advocate once proceedings move beyond the mediation stage and enter the adjudicatory phase under Rule 17 of the Insurance Ombudsman Rules, 2017. This amounts to a denial of a fundamental procedural right.

The verdict reopened a debate that the insurance sector has sidestepped for years: in a system designed to protect ordinary policyholders, why are they being asked to fight increasingly complex insurance battles alone?

The numbers tell a striking story. The Council for Insurance Ombudsmen (CIO) annual report for FY25 shows the 18 ombudsman office...