Tungnath Chaturvedi (66), an Indian lawyer, wins his lawsuit against the North East Railway (Gorakhpur) after a 22-year battle. The man had to pay an extra 20 rupees (€ 0.24) for two train tickets he bought in 1999. Last week, the consumer court finally ruled in favor of Mr Chaturvedi and asked the railways to repay the amount with interest. “It is not the money that counts, but the fight against corruption and for justice. It was worth it,” Chaturvedi told the BBC.
The incident took place in 1999 at the Mathura Cantonment station in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Tungnath Chaturvedi, then 44, bought two train tickets for 35 rupees each, but when he gave 100 rupees to the ticket clerk, he only got 10 rupees back. When the clerk refused to rectify the erroneous return, the Indian lawyer decided to file a lawsuit against Indian Railways and the clerk.
Slow Judiciary
“I’ve attended more than 100 hearings related to this case, but you can’t put a price on the energy and time I’ve lost fighting this case.” Consumer courts in India specifically deal with grievances related to services, but the courts are known for their years of litigation.
Chaturvedi blames the slow pace of the judiciary in India, with hearings often postponed because judges were on vacation or bereaved. In addition, the railways also tried to hinder the progress of the lawsuit by referring to the Railway Tribunal, a quasi-judicial body set up to hear claims related to train travel in India. The Supreme Court decided in 2021 that the case could still continue in the consumer court.
Compensation of € 182
After the long battle, the railway company was nevertheless ordered to pay a fine of 15,000 rupees (€182.30) in addition to the refund of 20 rupees, which Mr Chaturvedi was incorrectly charged, with an interest rate of 12 percent per annum since the incident. took place in 1999. If the amount was not paid within 30 days, the interest would even be revised to 15 percent.
The Indian feels that the compensation does not outweigh the mental torment the case has caused him. His family tried several times to stop him from continuing the business, but still kept going. “It’s not the money that counts. It was always about a fight for justice and a fight against corruption, so it was worth it,” he said. “Because I am a lawyer myself, I also did not have to pay money to a lawyer or bear the costs of traveling to court. That can get quite expensive.”
He believes that his cause can serve as an inspiration to others. “You don’t have to give up, even if the battle seems tough,” Chaturvedi said.
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