One might raise eyebrows on hearing that a man fought a legal battle against the Indian Railways for getting back Rs 35. Seems unbelievable, doesn't it? But it’s a true story.
Sujit Swamy, a young engineer, didn’t take on the Railways for getting his Rs 35 back but he raised his voice on behalf of over 3 lakh people who also faced injustice like him. To make it clearer the fight was against the Railways for unnecessarily charging 2.43 crore rupees.
Sujit Swamy shared with Manoramanews.com the joy on the successful litigation, which he started at the age of 25.
The issue began after Rajasthan native Sujith Swamy cancelled a waiting list ticket for a Kota-Delhi journey. On cancellation of the ticket booked for July 2, 2017, Sujith got a refund of Rs 665 after the Railways deducted cancellation charges of Rs 100. But as per rules the Railways is supposed to charge only Rs 65. That's how Sujith's battle started for Rs 35 charged illegally by the Railways.
From Rs 35 to Rs 2.43 crore
Sujith who started probing the matter, received crucial information through the Right to Information Act that the Railways had charged a total of Rs 2.43 crore from over 3 lakh people including him. Subsequently, through legal battle he got Rs 33 refunded in 2019.
But he didn’t get any reply regarding the balance Rs 2. Moreover, it became clear that besides his Rs 2, the Railways had still not given the money back to several other people.
Sujith continued writing complaints to the prime minister, railways minister and Railways and tweeted the complaints. Finally, he attained success in his fight as the Railways refunded the amount on May 30.
It's not about money
"Order has been issued to return the money of other people as well. Some people have tweeted and given information regarding the refund that they got from the Railways. Some people did make fun of me saying that I was fighting for a mere Rs 35. But today there is immense satisfaction that because of my efforts others also got their money back," Sujith Swami.
"Our system has lacuna. But we should fight and attain our rights. Even though there is awareness regarding rights, undue delay and adverse circumstances often pull people back from such battles. When those raising their voice for justice vanish, the judicial system itself becomes ineffective. Whether injustice is big or small, one should fight against it,” Sujith said.
Though Sujith is happy that his complaint has been redressed despite a long delay, he is now gearing up to find the answer why it took over five years!
