The insurer keeps changing why it rejected your claim? It is generally bound by its first reason.
When you contest a rejection and a brand-new reason appears in the reply, that moving target is itself a weakness. Here's how to pin the insurer to the grounds it first stated.
Reviewed by the BimaHaq Insurance Grievance Desk — BimaHaq's in-house insurance-grievance team — specialists in IRDAI grievance redressal, the Insurance Ombudsman process, and policyholder rights in India. · Last reviewed 2026-07-11
An insurer is generally confined to the reason it gave in its written repudiation. It cannot keep adding or switching grounds later — once the first reason does not hold up — to justify the same rejection. A shifting or expanding set of grounds is itself a weakness in the insurer's case and a point you can press.
Why insurers reject on this ground
The insurer rejects on one ground; when you contest it, a new or additional reason surfaces in the reply or before the Ombudsman — a moving target that keeps the rejection alive after the original ground fails.
When you can challenge it
A repudiation must be reasoned and specific, and both the courts and the Insurance Ombudsman look with disfavour on an insurer that travels beyond the grounds set out in its own repudiation letter. Insist on receiving every ground in writing, hold the insurer to its original letter, and point out that a fresh ground raised only after the claim was disputed cannot be used to defend the original decision. The absence of a consistent, reasoned basis is itself a strong argument that the rejection is arbitrary.
How to fight this rejection
Get every stated ground in writing
Insist the insurer put its complete reason for rejection in a dated letter. A clear written record is what lets you show later that the ground has changed.
Compare the first letter with later replies
Line up the original repudiation against every subsequent communication and pleading. Highlight each new or shifted reason — a ground that appears only after you contested the claim.
Pin the insurer to its original ground
In your grievance and before the Ombudsman, argue the insurer is bound by the reason it first gave and cannot substitute fresh grounds to save a rejection whose original basis has failed.
Raise a written grievance with the insurer's GRO
Send a dated grievance to the insurer's Grievance Redressal Officer setting out why the rejection is wrong. The insurer must acknowledge it immediately and resolve it within 14 days.
Escalate to IRDAI on Bima Bharosa
If it isn't resolved in time or the reply is unsatisfactory, register the complaint on IRDAI's Bima Bharosa portal.
Take it to the Insurance Ombudsman
Free, binding on the insurer, and open to claims up to ₹50 lakh — file within one year of the insurer's rejection or final reply.
Common questions
Can an insurer add new reasons for rejecting my claim later?
It is generally not allowed to. An insurer is expected to state its full reason in the written repudiation, and both courts and the Ombudsman disapprove of an insurer that introduces fresh grounds afterwards to defend the same rejection once the original reason fails.
Is a rejection valid if the insurer keeps changing its reason?
A shifting set of reasons is a serious weakness in the insurer's case. It suggests the rejection was not based on a genuine, consistent ground, and it is a strong point to raise in your grievance and before the Insurance Ombudsman.
See the full escalation ladder for a rejected claim, or use a free complaint-letter template.
This guide is general information about the insurance-grievance process in India, not legal advice, and figures (timelines, monetary limits, jurisdiction) can change — verify against the official sources linked above before you rely on them.