In 2010, an elderly couple bought a third AC ticket from Solapur. One of them was specially-abled. They booked their berths under the requisite quota but were not allotted any lower berth.
Solapur: An 11-year-old case of harassment of an elderly couple from Solapur, Belgaum, in Karnataka, has come to haunt the Indian Railways at a hefty financial cost. The Indian Railways has been imposed a penalty of Rs 3 lakh by a Karnataka court.
In 2010, an elderly couple bought a third AC ticket from Solapur. One of them was specially-abled. They booked their berths under the requisite quota but were not allotted any lower berth. There were six lower berth seats vacant in the compartment but the ticket examiner did not allot any lower berth to them, despite repeated requests.
It was alleged that one of the railway staff misguided them and dropped the couple off at a wrong railway station which was at least 100 km from their destination. Their son, who was waiting to pick them up at Biroor, later filed a case against the Indian Railways.
After an 11-year wait, justice has been delivered to the victim couple. The court ordered Indian Railways to pay Rs 3 lakh to the family and also another Rs 2,500 to compensate the cost of litigation.
