Lawyer bags Rs 1.5 lakh over loo embarrassment

Durg, Oct 26: A faulty railway toilet door proved to be a jackpot for a lawyer travelling from Delhi to Durg on the Samta Express. Gurudarshan Lamba, a lawyer by profession, had to use the washroom.

Even after he bolted the door, a slight nudge from another passenger in waiting opened the door from outside. Expressing his shock over the incident, Lamba said,"I was shocked to find that the door had opened despite my locking it. As it turned out, the latch on the door was defective."

Incidentally, that was the A1 coach. Following this, Lamba lodged a complaint with the railway authorities and filed a case for gross negligence on their part that caused him such mental agony.

Opposing Lamba's plea, railway counsel countered that Lamba could have used the rest of the three lavatories if he found the door faulty. He said,"None of the passengers on the A-1 coach lodged a complaint. His contention is baseless." However, the Maitriya Mathur, judge of the Durg district consumer redressal forum supported Lamba, saying,"After charging such a heavy amount for reservations on the AC coach, shouldn't the Railways facilitate secure and usable amenities for the passengers?"

The forum directed the railways to pay Lamba a compensation of Rs 1.50 lakh and Rs 10,000 as litigation costs.

OneIndia News