Bhopal: After 7 years; consumer forum dismisses plea, says it’s outside jurisdiction

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): After 7 years, Bhopal District Consumer Grievances Redressal Forum has dismissed a petition stating that it cannot decide it because the matter is outside its jurisdiction. The petition was filed on April 24, 2015, while it was dismissed on June 30, 2022.

Forum, in its order, suggested the petitioner to file a case before Railway Claims Tribunal to seek compensation for the damages.

Richa Verma, wife of JN Verma, resident of Arera Colony, had filed a petition in 2015 to seek claim of Rs 2.73 lakh after someone stole her bag containing gold chain while she was travelling in Bhopal-Pratapgarh train.

Claimant, in her petition, said that she boarded the train on September 5, 2014, from Bhopal to go to Lucknow. The train reached Kanpur at 4 am. She was sleeping with a bag containing the gold chain. Someone snatched bag and disappeared. Claimant and her husband raised voice. Other passengers assembled but there was no TTE or coach attendant. Railway helpline was contacted but no one responded.

Advocate Rajiv Jain, who appeared on behalf of railways, said, “Snatching, theft, robbery are untoward incidents and they come under jurisdiction of Railway Claim Tribunal and not Consumer Grievances Redressal Forum.”

He cited Section 123(C) in The Railways Act, 1989, which defines untoward incident as commission of a terrorist act, making violent attack, commission of robbery or dacoity, indulging in rioting, shoot-out or arson, by any person in or on any train carrying passengers, or in a waiting hall, cloak room or reservation or booking office or on any railway platform or in any other place within the precincts of a railway station. It also covers accidental falling of a passenger from a train.