Consumer court orders ₹25,000 compensation to passenger who fell sick after eating worm in biryani served on train
Delhi District Consumer Redressal Commission finds IRCTC deficient in service for contaminated food and subsequent ordeal
A consumer court in Delhi has directed the Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) to pay ₹25,000 as compensation to Saurav Raj, a passenger who fell ill after consuming a plate of vegetable biryani containing a large dead white worm while travelling on the Poorva Express from New Delhi to Jasidih on December 28, 2018.
The District Consumer Redressal Commission, comprising President Monika Sirvastava and Member Kiran Kaushal, held that despite IRCTC’s regret and penalisation of the food vendor, it fell short in maintaining the required food safety and quality standards, thereby causing physical and mental trauma to the passenger.
Raj reported vomiting, severe abdominal pain, and struggled through the journey without immediate medical help. The court also noted the distress caused by the railway staff’s reluctance to provide a complaint register and vendor pressure to withdraw the complaint. The court acknowledged the video evidence submitted by Raj in awarding the compensation.