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Indian Railways: In a case involving the theft of a bag on the Rajdhani Express, the Consumer Court ruled in favor of the aggrieved family and ordered compensation after the Railways' negligence was proven.

Rajdhani Express News: If you tend to be unconcerned about your bags or valuables while traveling by train, take note of this incident where a family's bag was stolen while traveling on the Rajdhani Express. The matter reached the Consumer Commission, which ruled in the family's favor after establishing the Railways' negligence. The court has ordered the Railways to pay ₹80,000 in compensation.

The incident dates back to December 14, 2021. A man was traveling with his wife and child in the 3AC coach of the Rajdhani Express (Train No. 12423). During the journey, the woman's handbag was stolen. The bag contained a gold *mangalsutra* weighing approximately 1.5 *tolas*, ₹5,000 in cash, and an original SBI passbook. The theft was discovered when the train arrived at Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Railway Station.

Coach attendant's negligence proves costly for Railways.

After discovering the bag was missing, the family first looked for the coach attendant but found he was not at his duty station. They then informed the TTE and RPF escort on the train about the incident. An FIR regarding the matter was lodged after the train reached New Delhi. The Railways argued that since the Station Master had received no notification of the theft, they bore no liability.

During the hearing, the Pathankot Consumer Court rejected the Railways' argument. The court observed that since the Railways had already admitted that a complaint was lodged with the RPF escort, it could not be claimed that the railway administration was unaware of the incident. The court further noted that the Railways failed to prove the coach attendant was present on duty at the time of the incident; the Railways did not even produce the duty roster.

In its verdict, the court stated that while the Railways is generally not liable to pay compensation for the theft of unbooked luggage, this specific incident occurred due to the negligence of railway staff and the absence of the coach attendant. Consequently, this was deemed a deficiency in service, and the Railways could not evade liability.

Victim Awarded ₹80,000 Compensation

Acknowledging the Railways' negligence, the court ordered the payment of ₹80,000 in compensation to the aggrieved family. This ruling clarifies that passengers are entitled to compensation if they suffer a loss due to the Railways' fault.