Centre to pay Rs 1 lakh to couple for RPF harassment
15 May 2013 3:15 PM IST
The central government has been directed by a consumer forum to pay Rs 1.1 lakh to a couple as compensation for alleged misbehaviour by RPF officials at the entry gate of New Delhi Railway Station.
The Central District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum observed that the ministry of railways was responsible for the acts of its employees, who had allegedly misbehaved with the wife of a Delhi-based lawyer when they were entering the station in June, 2006.
‘The opposite parties 2 to 4 being employees of RPF should have treated the passengers decently. They did not do so and rather misbehaved with the lady/complainant 2. The Union of India/opposite party 1 is responsible for the acts of its employees that is opposite parties 2 to 4.
‘We allow the complaint with the direction to pay to the complainants a sum of Rs 1,00,000 as compensation.
The amount shall be recoverable jointly or severally from the opposite parties,’ a bench presided by B B Chaudhary said, and also directed the government to pay the couple Rs 10,000 as cost of litigation.
The forum also said if the compensation is paid by the ministry, then it is at liberty to recover the amount from the salary of the Railway Protection Force officials involved in the matter. The order came on the complaint filed by Delhi-based lawyer Ajay Kumar and his wife Meenakshi, who had alleged that on 21 June, 2006, while entering New Delhi Railway Station through one of its gates, one of the male RPF officials posted there for security purposes misbehaved with her, while two other officers looked on.
They said despite several complaints to the ministry, no action was taken against the errant RPF officials.
The Central District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum observed that the ministry of railways was responsible for the acts of its employees, who had allegedly misbehaved with the wife of a Delhi-based lawyer when they were entering the station in June, 2006.
‘The opposite parties 2 to 4 being employees of RPF should have treated the passengers decently. They did not do so and rather misbehaved with the lady/complainant 2. The Union of India/opposite party 1 is responsible for the acts of its employees that is opposite parties 2 to 4.
‘We allow the complaint with the direction to pay to the complainants a sum of Rs 1,00,000 as compensation.
The amount shall be recoverable jointly or severally from the opposite parties,’ a bench presided by B B Chaudhary said, and also directed the government to pay the couple Rs 10,000 as cost of litigation.
The forum also said if the compensation is paid by the ministry, then it is at liberty to recover the amount from the salary of the Railway Protection Force officials involved in the matter. The order came on the complaint filed by Delhi-based lawyer Ajay Kumar and his wife Meenakshi, who had alleged that on 21 June, 2006, while entering New Delhi Railway Station through one of its gates, one of the male RPF officials posted there for security purposes misbehaved with her, while two other officers looked on.
They said despite several complaints to the ministry, no action was taken against the errant RPF officials.
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