A consumer court in Bihar has held the Indian Railways responsible for failing to provide confirmed reserved berths to passengers and ordered compensation after four travellers were allegedly forced to complete their train journey standing.
According to a report by Bar and Bench, the Bhojpur Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission directed the railways to pay Rs 20,000 as compensation to the passengers for the harassment they suffered during the journey.
Passengers Claimed Railway Staff Occupied Their Confirmed Berths
The case relates to four passengers travelling on the LTT Patna Express from Vindhyachal in Uttar Pradesh’s Mirzapur district to Ara in Bihar’s Bhojpur district.
As per the complaint, the passengers discovered that their confirmed reserved berths were already occupied by railway staff when they boarded the train.
Despite repeatedly requesting the staff members to vacate the seats, the passengers allegedly failed to get access to the berths they had booked.
The complaint stated that they were ultimately forced to complete the journey standing.
Consumer Commission Says Passengers Faced “Mental, Physical and Economic Harassment”
The bench comprising president Krishna Pratap Singh and member Kamal Kishore Singh observed that the railway authorities were guilty of deficiency in service.
According to Bar and Bench, the commission said the passengers suffered: “Mental, physical, and economic harassment” due to the failure of the railways to provide the promised reserved seating.
The commission ordered North Central Railway and the Ministry of Railways to refund the booking amount of Rs 1,876.80 along with 8 per cent annual interest.
Apart from this, the railways were also directed to pay Rs 20,000 as compensation and Rs 15,000 towards litigation costs within 60 days.
Railways May Have to Pay Higher Interest if Delay Continues
The commission further said that if the amount is not paid within the stipulated period, the complainants would have the right to recover the money through legal proceedings with 10 per cent annual interest.
Passengers Said Complaints During Journey Were Ignored
As per the complaint, the passengers had attempted to raise the issue through multiple channels during the journey itself.
They reportedly contacted railway helplines and posted complaints on platforms including Railway Seva and the Rail Ministry’s social media channels.
While they received complaint reference numbers through SMS, they alleged that no effective action was taken.
The passengers also claimed that when a travelling ticket examiner (TTE) boarded the train at Buxar station, they again raised the issue.
However, they were allegedly told to simply “manage” because of the heavy crowd on the train.
Railways Denied Deficiency in Service
Before the commission, the railway authorities argued that the issue was connected to law and order and therefore fell under the jurisdiction of the Government Railway Police (GRP), not the railway administration.
The railways also denied any lapse in service and reportedly stated that appropriate action had already been taken regarding the complaint.
Consumer Court Relied on Tickets, Messages and Photos
After examining ticket records, complaint documents, text messages and photographs submitted by the passengers, the commission concluded that the travellers had indeed been denied access to their confirmed seats.
The court held that the passengers were subjected to unnecessary harassment because the railway authorities failed to provide the service they had promised at the time of booking.
Inputs from agencies
