Indian Railways ordered to pay ₹9 lakh after 2-hour train delay costs student an academic year

In a landmark order, a district consumer commission in Uttar Pradesh has directed Indian Railways to pay ₹9 lakh in compensation after a two-and-a-half-hour train delay caused a student to miss her entrance examination, effectively costing her an entire academic year.

The commission held that the delay amounted to a clear deficiency in service, observing that the Railways failed in its duty to ensure timely transportation despite passengers paying full consideration.

Presiding over the case, Commission President Amarjeet Verma and Member Ajay Prakash Singh noted that the delay resulted in severe mental, physical, and financial hardship, and deprived the student of a crucial educational opportunity.

“The Railways cannot justify the delay in the arrival of a train merely on the basis of technical faults or other technical reasons,” the commission said in its order.

Missed exam, lost year

The student was scheduled to appear for an entrance examination at Jai Narayan PG College, Charbagh, Lucknow. Reporting time was 12:30 pm, with the exam slated from 1:30 pm to 3 pm. However, the train reached the station only at 1:34 pm, nearly 2.5 hours late, leaving her barred from entering the examination centre.

Her father subsequently approached the consumer court, seeking ₹20 lakh compensation, citing mental agony and a major career setback.

Court’s findings

The commission underlined that passengers undertake journeys with a legitimate expectation of reaching their destination on time. Any unexplained delay, it said, disrupts lives and responsibilities the passenger has planned around that journey.

Key observations included:

• Railways is liable to compensate passengers for losses arising from negligence and service deficiency.
• Delays cannot be routinely defended on vague or technical grounds.
• Compensation can only be avoided if Railways proves the delay was caused by unavoidable factors such as natural calamities, adverse weather, or signal failure.
• The student had scored a perfect 10 CGPA in her CBSE high school examination and aspired to pursue higher education at a reputed institution.

“Due to the negligence of the opposite parties, she was deprived of appearing in the entrance examination, resulting in the loss of a valuable academic year and causing irreparable harm,” the commission observed.

Compensation ordered

Allowing the plea, the forum directed Indian Railways to pay:

• ₹9 lakh as compensation
• ₹5,000 towards advocate’s fee
• ₹5,000 as litigation costs

The total amount must be paid within 45 days, failing which further legal consequences may follow.

The ruling is being seen as a significant affirmation of passenger rights, reinforcing that public service providers can be held accountable when delays carry life-altering consequences.