Kota Engineer’s Fight For ₹ 35 Against the IRCTC Is Setting The Right Example For All Of Us

For every diligent individual, the money earned is of paramount importance and there are no two ways about it. It takes years of dedication, resolute hard work, and an imperishable attitude to be successful. And quite obviously, the smallest of scratch on their possessions is enough to fire them up.

While most of us most of us tend to overlook 10-20 bucks thinking ‘chor na yaar…’, there are individuals who value their money immensely, be it a mere amount. And here we have someone who does the same.

A Kota-based engineer, Sujeet Swami, who booked a train ticket from Kota to New Delhi worth Rs. 765, was returned an amount of Rs. 665 on cancelation.

Swami reserved the ticket in the Golden Temple Mail in April 2017. However, the engineer went on to cancel it when asked to wait for the same. The amount was charged to him as service tax even though he canceled the ticket prior to the implementation of GST. The ticket was scheduled for a journey on July 2, a day after the new tax regime came into action.

Swami filed an RTI with IRCTC instantly along with a complaint. In their reply, the IRCTC assured Swami of a refund which was never carried out. Speaking about the same to NDTV, Swami said,

“Rs. 100 were deducted instead of Rs. 65 against cancellation of a wait listed ticket. I filed an RTI with IRCTC in July last year and also lodged a complaint immediately. I was informed that the amount would be refunded, but that did not happen.”

Initially, the IRCTC said that as per the commercial circular number 43 of the Ministry of Railways, for tickets booked before the implementation of GST and cancelled after implementation, service tax charged at the time of booking shall not be refunded. So, Rupees 100 (Rupees 65 as clerical charge and Rupees 35 as service tax) was charged against the cancelled ticket.

The statement added that since the ticket was booked before the new tax regime date of July 2017, the total amount of service tax (Rs.35) shall be returned.

Despite the amount being a small one, Swami decided to stand up against the wrong and take the Railways for a spin. He had moved a petition in the Lok Adalat which issued notices to the Railway Board Chairman, West-Central Railways General Manager, Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation General Manager and Kota Divisional Railway Manager.

It’s been over a year since the incident took place, but the highly spirited Swami is not giving up soon. In another RTI filed by the man, he has highlighted that there were over 9 lakh passengers who booked their tickets before implementation of GST and canceled them between July 1 to July 11 when service tax was charged.

It is heartwarming to see individuals stand up for their rights and question the loopholes in the system. We sincerely hope Swami’s true efforts initiate a change in the management.