People often overlook small deductions, but a traveler from Punjab did not. After cancelling his train tickets, he received a refund that was short by ₹5. A complaint regarding this trivial amount eventually reached the Consumer Commission. The Commission has now ordered the Railways not only to refund the ₹5 but also to pay ₹10,000 in compensation.
**The matter began with a ₹5 deduction**
Premjit Singh, a 41-year-old resident of Ludhiana, Punjab, had booked two train tickets for himself and his father from Hisar to Ludhiana in February 2023. He paid a total of ₹330 for these tickets using a debit card at the railway station counter. Due to personal reasons, he cancelled the tickets a day before the scheduled journey. Following the cancellation, the Railways deducted a cancellation fee of ₹240 in accordance with the rules, leaving a refund amount of ₹90 to be returned.
**Discrepancy revealed upon checking the bank account**
About a year later, when Premjit Singh checked his bank account details, he discovered that only ₹85 had been credited to his account instead of ₹90; an extra ₹5 had been deducted from the refund amount. Upon noticing this, he contacted the railway helpline and visited the station to present his tickets and bank statement. Despite this, he received no clear explanation as to why the ₹5 had been deducted.
**Approached the Consumer Commission after receiving no answer**
After failing to get a satisfactory response from railway officials, Premjit Singh sent a legal notice and subsequently filed a complaint with the District Consumer Commission. He demanded the return of the ₹5 and argued that a deduction made without prior notification violated consumer rights. During the hearing, the Railways presented its side, stating that the ₹5 had not been deducted by them but by his bank, the State Bank of India.
**Railway rules included a ₹5 charge**
During the hearing, the Railways cited a 2017 Railway Board notification. According to this notification, if a ticket refund is processed via a POS machine and the amount is up to ₹1,000, the bank may levy a ‘refund fee’ of ₹5. The Commission acknowledged that the ₹5 deduction was made in accordance with this rule. However, it was also observed that passengers should have been clearly informed about this fee beforehand.
**Failure to Inform Proves Costly for Railways**
The Commission found that the Railways failed to prove that information regarding this fee was clearly displayed at the ticket counter. Furthermore, even after the complaint was lodged, the passenger was not informed of the reason for the deduction. The Commission noted that even railway officials lacked full knowledge of this system, and the notification was produced only during the final stage of the hearing. The Commission deemed this unfair treatment of the consumer and an ‘unfair trade practice.’
A bench comprising District Consumer Commission President Sanjeev Batra and Member Monica Bhagat ruled in favor of Premjit Singh. The Commission ordered the Railways to refund the ₹5 and pay a consolidated sum of ₹10,000. It further directed that this amount be paid within 30 days. If the Railways fail to make the payment within the stipulated time, it will be liable to pay an additional penalty of ₹200 per day. This verdict demonstrates that disregarding consumer rights can prove costly, even in cases involving small amounts.
Disclaimer: This content has been sourced and edited from Dainik Jagran. While we have made modifications for clarity and presentation, the original content belongs to its respective authors and website. We do not claim ownership of the content.
