RSRTC fined R1 lakh for ‘bribe’

Headed for a holiday to Jaipur from Delhi? If you are taking a tourist coach of the Rajasthan State Road Transport Corporation, do not pay a conductor for placing the luggage in the boot of the bus, if he is unwilling to pay a receipt for the money.

Headed for a holiday to Jaipur from Delhi? If you are taking a tourist coach of the Rajasthan State Road Transport Corporation, do not pay a conductor for placing the luggage in the boot of the bus, if he is unwilling to pay a receipt for the money.

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A consumer court in the capital banned the “malpractice” of charging the passengers without giving them a receipt. It also imposed a fine of R1.1 lakh on the corporation.

Judges VK Gupta and Vinay Singh of the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum even said state government employees accepting money without issuing a receipt was nothing but a “bribe”.

The stinging remarks from the court came while pronouncing the judgment in a case where Palam Colony resident GL Aggarwal had challenged the practice. He paid R5 as luggage charge during a trip to Jaipur last year and was told “there was no provision of issuing receipts”. Now, he will get a compensation of R10,000.

Rejecting the RSRTC’s argument that the fee without receipt was being charged since 15 years and so be allowed to continue, the Bench said: “The practice cannot overrule the law. As per law, every passenger ticket — be it a bus, train or plane ticket — should contain all details of the journey, including fares. The charge of money by conductor without any receipt comes under the definition of bribe.”