Delhi consumer forum orders bus operator to pay compensation for delayed wedding procession

In an order dated May 5, the commission said, With the extent of inconvenience caused, the delay in reaching the destination, and the resultant mental agony and social embarrassment suffered by the complainant, this commission is of the considered view that compensation should be just, reasonable, and proportionate to the circumstances of the case. According to the complaint, Kumar had booked a bus in October 2022 for his wedding procession scheduled on December 8, 2022.

A Delhi consumer commission has directed a transport service provider to refund money and pay compensation to a man whose wedding procession was delayed after a hired bus allegedly broke down on the way to Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh. The Delhi District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission presided over by the President Divya Jyoti Jaipuriar and Judicial Member Rashmi Bansal was hearing a complaint filed by Kapil Kumar against a bus operator alleging deficiency in service. In an order dated May 5, the commission said, ''With the extent of inconvenience caused, the delay in reaching the destination, and the resultant mental agony and social embarrassment suffered by the complainant, this commission is of the considered view that compensation should be just, reasonable, and proportionate to the circumstances of the case.'' According to the complaint, Kumar had booked a bus in October 2022 for his wedding procession scheduled on December 8, 2022. He alleged that the bus arrived late, took a wrong route through Jewar and eventually broke down around midnight when it was still about 58 kilometres away from the destination. Kumar told the commission that he had to arrange another bus at night to ensure that the baraat reached the venue. As a result, the wedding procession reached around 3 am, well past the scheduled time of the marriage rituals, causing embarrassment, stress and disruption at the ceremony. The transport operator denied the allegations and claimed the complainant had not paid the full agreed amount. It also contended that the route was chosen on the advice of the complainant's relatives and the vehicle broke down because it was driven on a pothole-ridden dirt road. The commission noted that the marriage ceremonies are time-bound events and delays in arrival of a baraat can cause embarrassment and distress to both families in a social setting. ''The commission takes judicial notice that a marriage ceremony is a time bound event, and delay in arrival of the Barat causes inconvenience not only to the complainant but to both families and guests, resulting in embarrassment, distress, and loss of dignity in a social setting,'' the order read. It also observed that the operator failed to show that any alternative arrangements were made after the breakdown. ''The failure to provide timely service and absence of contingency arrangements after breakdown clearly reflect deficiency in service,'' the commission said. The commission held the transport operator guilty of deficiency in service and ordered it to refund Rs 14,000 paid by the complainant along with Rs 50,000 compensation for mental agony, harassment and inconvenience. The commission declined compensation claims relating to expenses for alternative buses, saying sufficient documentary proof was not produced.