When Tungnath Chaturvedi, 66, bought a ticket at Mathura station in Uttar Pradesh in 1999 to go to Moradabad, he was charged 90 rupees instead of 70. He complained there and then, but got no refund. Chaturvedi filed a complaint in the local consumer court in Mathura against the North East Railways Service division of Indian Railways and, after 100 hearings, the court ruled in his favor last week, ordering the railways to pay a fine of 15,000 rupees (£154 or £188 $), as well as the amount due plus 12% interest. If the amount is not paid in 30 days, the interest will rise to 15%. The ruling was sweet vindication for Chaturvedi, but, as he told the BBC: “You can’t put a price on the energy and time I spent fighting this case.” The case highlights India’s overburdened judicial system, where about 40 million cases clog the system. Legal cases are known to take 10-15 years to reach a conclusion. What is surprising is Chaturvedi’s misappropriation of a small amount, including taking the case all the way to the apex court when a railway court dismissed the case. His family tried to convince him that it was pointless and a waste of time and money, even though he was representing himself and therefore had no legal fees to pay, but he was adamant. “It’s not the money that matters,” he told the BBC. “This has always been about a fight for justice and a fight against corruption, so it was worth it.” Equally surprising was that Indian Railways, the country’s largest employer, chose to continue fighting the case.
