The apex consumer commission has directed the Railways to pay Rs 2.7 lakh to a passenger for theft of her jewellery, including diamonds, from a Rajasthan- bound train, noting that no official came to her rescue even after she raised an alarm.
The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) bench, while dismissing the revision petition of the Railways, asked it to pay Rs 2.3 lakh, the price of stolen jewellery and cash, to Rajasthan resident Jasmin Mann.
The Commission also upheld the lower fora's order asking the Railways to pay Rs 30,000 as compensation along with Rs 10,000 as legal cost to Mann, besides the jewellery amount.
It said that there was no justification for the door of the AC coach being left open while the train was running between the two stations.
According to the complaint, on February 8, 2011, Mann was travelling in an AC coach of Delhi Bikaner super fast train from Sarai Rohilla in Delhi to Rajasthan's Sri Ganganagar.
The complainant claimed that when the train reached Ganganagar station early in the morning next day, some unidentified person snatched her hand bag containing jewellery and cash worth Rs 2.3 lakh.
It further alleged that she was dragged to the door along with the hand bag and in the tussle the chain of the bag was broken and the person escaped with it from the slow-moving train. Mann registered a complaint with the RPF at the next station.
"The coach attendant was negligent in leaving the door open due to which an unauthorised person entered into the reserved AC II Tier coach and committed theft.
"The passenger was dragged to the door and to protect her purse from the thief, she raised hue and cry but neither the attendant nor the TTE or the RPF came to her rescue," a bench headed by presiding member Rekha Gupta said.
The district forum had asked the Railways to compensate Mann while asking it to pay the amount of the stolen articles, saying it was clear that the theft had occurred due to the carelessness and negligence of the Railways.
The state commission dismissed the appeal of the Railways against which it approached the NCDRC.
Railways had claimed that the passenger was careless with her luggage and she should have been more vigilant in safeguarding her valuables.
The NCDRC, however, rejected these contentions and dismissed the revision petition.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)