29 years later, justice for railway employee

A junior railway employee, who lost his job 29 years ago for allegedly travelling without ticket in the first-class coach and playing cards with RPF personnel, finally got justice.

Gyan Chand Chattar spent his service tenure in litigating with the government, saying he was wrongly punished as the railway department neither heard his defence nor investigated the charges in accordance with law. He got some  relief from the Gujarat high court in 1991 when it awarded him 50% of back wages and retirement benefits. But the railway ministry did not abide by the verdict. and instead, moved the Supreme Court in 2003.

The SC dismissed the ministry’s plea. “It is in the interest of justice that Chattar’s  mental agony should come to an end,” the court said, while directing the Western Railway to pay him 50% of his pay without interest till he retired  and arrears of retirement benefits with  90% interest.