Passenger's Ticket Showed He Was 1 Year Old Travelling Alone. Indian Railways Fined Him Rs 7000

A Bengaluru-based passenger was fined Rs 7,035 during a train journey after a typing error in his ticket showed his age as one year instead of 24. The incident took place on June 23 aboard Train No. 22691 KSR Bengaluru–Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express, prompting the passenger to challenge the penalty through the RailMadad grievance portal. Railway authorities, however, upheld the action, saying the ticket details did not match the passenger's actual particulars.

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Why Was The Passenger Fined?

According to a report by The Times of India, Ramakant M, 24, had boarded the Rajdhani Express from Bengaluru and was travelling to Nagpur, Maharashtra. During ticket verification, the Travelling Ticket Examiner (TTE) noticed that the age mentioned on the e-ticket was "1" instead of "24". Ramakant reportedly told officials that the incorrect age was the result of a data-entry mistake made while booking the ticket.

The passenger said he presented a government-issued identity card showing his correct age and identity. However, railway staff maintained that the reservation contained incorrect passenger details and therefore could not be treated as a valid ticket. He was subsequently charged a penalty of Rs 7,035 and paid the amount through UPI during the journey, according to the report.

Ramakant also argued that the error did not result in any fare concession or discount, and that the ticket price would have remained unchanged even if his correct age had been entered during booking.

Photo: Unsplash

Complaint Filed Through RailMadad

After reaching Nagpur on June 24, the passenger reportedly lodged a complaint through RailMadad seeking a refund of the penalty. The complaint was closed within a day. In its response, the railways stated that the action taken by ticket-checking staff was in accordance with existing rules.

The response noted that passengers are responsible for verifying ticket particulars after booking and must correct any discrepancies through a Passenger Reservation System (PRS) counter before chart preparation and commencement of the journey. Since the discrepancy had not been rectified before travel, the passenger was treated as travelling without a proper ticket and charged under Section 138 of the Railways Act, 1989, the report said.

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Railway Orders Inquiry

The incident has also drawn attention to how the booking was accepted in the first place. As quoted by The Times of India, South Western Railway Chief Public Relations Officer Manjunath Kanamadi said it would examine how a ticket showing a one-year-old passenger travelling alone was generated. He added that an inquiry had been initiated into the matter.

Kanamadi also said that while the penalty may have been legally permissible under railway rules, officials would look into concerns surrounding the way the matter was handled during the journey.

The passenger, meanwhile, questioned why the booking system accepted the reservation if the age entered on the ticket would have made solo travel impossible for a one-year-old child.