Railways To Pay Rs. 9.1 Lakh To Student For Missing Exam Due To Train Delay
A UP consumer court ordered the Railways to pay ?9.1 lakh compensation to a student who missed her entrance exam due to a delayed train.
A district consumer court in Uttar Pradesh has ordered the Railways to pay ?9.1 lakh compensation to a young woman after a delayed train caused her to miss an important entrance examination.
The incident happened on 7 May 2018. Samriddhi, who was 17 years old at the time, was travelling from Basti to Lucknow to appear for a BSc Biotechnology entrance exam. Her exam centre was Jai Narayan PG College in Lucknow. The reporting time was 12:30 pm and the exam was scheduled from 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm.
She boarded the Intercity Superfast train from Basti at around 6:55 am. The train was expected to reach Lucknow by 11:00 am, giving her enough time to reach the exam centre. However, the train reached nearly two-and-a-half hours late, at around 1:30 pm.
By the time Samriddhi reached the college, the gates had already closed and she was not allowed to enter the examination hall. Despite requesting the authorities and explaining her situation, she was denied entry. She broke down in tears, as she had prepared for the exam for a full year. At that time, Lucknow University was the only university offering that course.
After the incident, Samriddhi and her father filed a complaint and sought ?20 lakh compensation. Notices were sent to the Railway Ministry and other railway officials, but there was no proper response. In September 2018, she approached the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in Basti.
The case continued for more than seven years. During the hearings, the Railways admitted that the train was delayed but failed to give a clear and valid reason for the delay.
The commission observed that when passengers buy a ticket, they expect to reach their destination on time. If a train is delayed without unavoidable reasons such as bad weather or natural disaster, the Railways can be held responsible for the loss caused.
The court said that due to the delay, a bright student missed her entrance exam, lost one academic year, and suffered mental and financial stress. Therefore, the Railways were found guilty of poor service.
Last week, the president of the district consumer court ordered the Railways to pay ?9.10 lakh within 45 days. This amount includes ?9 lakh as compensation, ?5,000 as advocate’s fee, and ?5,000 as litigation cost. If the payment is not made within the given time, the Railways will have to pay 12% annual interest on the amount.
The judgment has once again raised questions about passenger rights and accountability for train delays, which affect millions of people across India every day.
