Fish cutlet proves costly for railways

A fish cutlet has cost the Indian Railways Rs55,500. And no, this has little to do with inflation.

Eight years ago, when Mansi Garg and her husband were travelling aboard the Rajdhani Express from New Delhi to Kolkata, the catering staff served them a fish cutlet.

However, the couple had ordered a vegetarian cutlet. The railways insisted that the food was vegetarian as ordered. For the couple, it was not just a question of food habits, but religious sensibilities too.

After lodging a complaint with the train superintendent, they approached the District Consumer Forum. Their plea was upheld and a cash compensation of Rs50,000 along with Rs5,000 as the cost of litigation was granted to the couple.

The railways did not take this order lying down and challenged it before the Delhi Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission.

A long drawn battle followed but the Gargs finally got their relief.

In his order, Justice Barkat Ali Zaidi of the Delhi State Commission bench said, “We also find no reason to interfere with the award of compensation and cost of litigation because hurting someone’s religious sentiments cannot be evaluated in terms of money.” He further levied a cost of Rs500.