Holding the Railways responsible for failing to provide confirmed reserved berths allegedly occupied by railway staff, the Bhojpur district consumer disputes redressal commission has directed the Railways to pay ₹20,000 compensation to four passengers who were forced to complete their train journey standing, despite holding valid AC coach reservations.
In an order earlier this month, the bench of Krishna Pratap Singh (president) and Kamal Kishore Singh (member) observed that the passengers suffered 'mental, physical and economic harassment' due to the Railways’ deficiency in service.
The bench ordered North Central Railway and the ministry of railways to refund the booking amount of ₹1,876.80 along with 8% annual interest, pay ₹20,000 as compensation and ₹15,000 towards litigation costs within 60 days.
The commission further said that if the payment is not made within the stipulated time, the complainant would be entitled to recover the amount with 10% annual interest through legal process.
According to the complaint, Ravi Shanker Pandey and three of his friends had booked confirmed berths in the B4 coach of LTT-Patna Express for travel from Vindhyachal to Ara on 2 October 2022. The tickets, booked through the IRCTC portal, included berth numbers 58, 62, 63 and 68.
However, when the passengers boarded the train after it arrived around an hour late, they allegedly found their reserved seats occupied by persons claiming to be railway employees.
Mr Pandey stated that despite repeated requests, the occupants refused to vacate the berths and allegedly behaved rudely with the passengers. The complainants also claimed that they could not locate either the travelling ticket examiner (TTE) or the railway protection force (RPF) personnel for assistance.
The passengers then attempted to lodge complaints through the Railway helpline and social media platforms, including Railway Seva and Rail Min India. Although a complaint reference number was generated through SMS, the passengers alleged that no effective action was taken during the journey.
The order noted that when a TTE finally appeared at Buxar station, the complainants again raised the issue but were allegedly told to 'manage' due to the heavy rush on the train. The passengers ultimately completed the journey standing despite having confirmed tickets.
Before the commission, the Railways argued that the dispute related to law and order issues falling under the jurisdiction of the government railway police (GRP) and not the railway administration. The Railways also denied any deficiency in service and claimed that action had already been taken on the complaint.
After reviewing the tickets, complaint records, text messages, and photographs submitted by the complainant, the commission concluded that the passengers had been denied their confirmed seats and subjected to harassment due to the railway authorities' failure to provide the promised service.
“It is crystal clear that the petitioner, along with three other friends, suffered mental, physical and economic harassment, and it constitutes a deficiency of service,” the commission said in its order.
(Consumer Case No. 296/2022 Date: 12 May 2026)
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