3 min readApr 25, 2026 09:14 AM IST
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, SAS Nagar (Mohali), has imposed a penalty of Rs 60,000 on Indian Railways after a senior citizen from Mohali was deprived of usable toilet facilities for over 24 hours. Surinder Kumar Munshi had booked a confirmed berth in 3-Tier AC and was travelling in Jammu Tawi-Bandra Terminus Special AC Train.
In his complaint to the Commission, Munshi said after boarding the train, he found all toilets in the coach filthy and unusable. He repeatedly raised the issue with the TTE, who assured that the cleaning would be carried out at Ambala, Mathura, Kota and Ratlam stations. However, no action was taken throughout the journey.
The Commission held the Railways guilty of deficiency in service and negligence. The redressal body also ordered it to compensate complainant Munshi for the inconvenience faced during the journey. Munshi had paid Rs 1,980 for the ticket.
The bench, comprising Commission President S K Aggarwal, Member Paramjeet Kaur and Member Lt Col Jasbir Singh Bath, directed the Railways to pay Rs 30,000 to Munshi. They were also asked to deposit Rs 15,000 in the Legal Aid Account and Rs 15,000 with the Tricity Consumer Courts Bar Association.
The amount must be deposited within 30 days of receiving a certified copy of the order.
Mushi told The Indian Express that he had booked a confirmed berth for travel from Delhi Sarai Rohilla to Bandra Terminus on November 22, 2023. He also lodged complaints through the Rail Madad Portal and the Public Grievance Portal, but did not receive satisfactory responses.
The Railways, before the Commission, argued that a contractor was responsible for cleaning the toilets and that water shortages could occasionally occur due to excessive usage by passengers. It also contended that toilet facilities do not fall under the definition of “service” as no separate charges are levied for them.
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However, the Commission rejected the argument, observing: “These basic amenities are an integral part of the service for which passengers pay fare to the Railways. Merely assigning the work to a contractor does not absolve the Railways of its responsibility.”
According to Munshi, the Commission also referred to photographs submitted on record and responses received through grievance portals. It noted that the Railways had itself admitted that cleaning staff was instructed at Ratlam to attend the coach, strengthening the complainant’s case.
The Commission also noted that the complainant was a senior citizen and had suffered “severe physical discomfort, mental agony and harassment” after being deprived of usable toilet facilities for more than 24 hours during the journey.
