Family of 24 forced to get off a train over washrooms without water, paid extra to reach Shivamogga after railway staff failed to resolve their complaint, yet railways denied the problem until a consumer commission ordered a Rs 16,000 payout for deficiency in service

NEW DELHI: A district consumer commission in Karnataka has held South Western Railway guilty of deficiency in service after a man travelling with 23 family members, including four children, had to get off a train because there was no water in the coach washrooms.The commission, in its October 17 order, directed the railway authorities to refund Rs 1,000 towards the original tickets, pay Rs 10,000 as compensation and Rs 5,000 towards litigation costs.Railway washroom disputeAccording to the commission’s order, the complainant, T Nagendra, a 52-year-old resident of Shivamogga, travelled with his wife, children and relatives to visit the Tirupati-Tirumala temples in Andhra Pradesh in April 2025.After leaving Tirupati on April 14, 2025, the family returned to Yeshwanthpura railway station in Bengaluru the following day to continue their journey to Shivamogga. The group, comprising 20 adults and four children, purchased second-class tickets worth Rs 1,000, from Yeshwanthpura to Shivamogga.However, after the train left Yeshwanthpura and proceeded towards Tumkur, the family members discovered that there was no water in the washrooms in their coach. The complainant alleged that the women and children in the group could not use the facilities because of the lack of water.Nagendra brought the problem to the attention of railway police personnel on duty in the train and sought help. However, according to the complaint, they were unable to resolve the issue and advised him to get off at Tumkur railway station and approach the station master.The complainant and his family members got off at Tumkur, where Nagendra lodged a written complaint with the station master on April 15, 2025. The complaint was acknowledged by the railway authorities.According to the complaint, the family then continued its journey to Shivamogga on another express train at around 8.30 pm after purchasing additional tickets worth Rs 1,760.Nagendra later sent a legal notice dated August 28, 2025, to the railway authorities, seeking a refund of the original ticket charges and compensation for the inconvenience and hardship suffered by the family. The authorities neither complied with the demand nor replied to the notice, according to the order.He approached the consumer commission seeking reimbursement of Rs 1,000 towards the original tickets, Rs 5 lakh for deficiency in service and unfair trade practice, another Rs 5 lakh for hardship and mental agony, and Rs 5,000 towards legal and litigation expenses.The railway authorities denied the allegations. They claimed that the allegation about the absence of water in the coach was baseless and unsupported by evidence. They also said that water supply to coaches was ensured before trains departed from their originating stations and that the train had passenger amenities, including washrooms, water supply, electricity and fans.Commission’s findingThe bench comprising president T Shivanna and member B D Yogananda examined the railway tickets, the written complaint lodged at Tumkur station and other documents submitted by the complainant.The commission noted that the tickets and the acknowledged complaint supported Nagendra’s account that he and his family had travelled on April 15, 2025, before getting off at Tumkur because of the water problem in the washrooms. It also addressed the discrepancy in the year mentioned in the initial complaint, treating it as a typographical error in view of the supporting documents.“Whether a complaint by the Passenger/s is of much gravity and grave concern or even a trivial matter, the concerned Railway Authorities are duty bound to address/resolve the complaint in a suitable manner and a compliance/reply to be communicated to the complainant along with the details of the action taken on the complaint,” the bench observed.It noted that the railway authorities had failed to produce evidence to establish that there was no water supply problem in the coach. The commission also criticised their failure to respond to the complaint lodged at Tumkur and the subsequent legal notice.“The OPs nowhere in their pleadings have whispered anything about the complaint lodged by the complainant before the Station Master, Tumkur, vide Ex.P-14, which is the core issue that should have been addressed/resolved suitably by the OPs,” the commission said.The commission further noted that the railway authorities had focused on the incorrect year mentioned in the initial documents instead of addressing the passenger’s grievance. It held that the authorities had failed to rebut the evidence supporting the complaint.“For the foregoing discussions and the reasoning supra, this Commission is of the firm opinion that, the said acts of omission and commission by the OPs is nothing but, deficiency in service on their part towards the complainant and the grievances faced by the complainant,” it further added.Final orderPartly allowing the complaint, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Shivamogga, directed the two railway authorities to:Refund Rs 1,000 towards the original railway tickets, with 6 percent annual interest from April 15, 2025, if paid within 45 days.Pay Rs 10,000 as compensation for inconvenience, hardship and mental agony.Pay Rs 5,000 towards litigation costs.The total compensation and litigation costs amount to Rs 15,000, apart from the Rs 1,000 ticket refund.The commission directed the railway authorities to pay the compensation and litigation costs within 45 days of the order. If they fail to do so, these amounts will attract 10 percent annual interest from October 17, 2026, until payment. If the ticket refund is delayed beyond the stipulated period, it will carry 10 percent annual interest from April 15, 2025, until realisation.The commission did not award the Rs 10 lakh in compensation sought by the complainant, holding that the material on record did not justify such a large amount.