AI passenger gets Rs2.8 lakh in damages

Mumbai: In a recent landmark judgment by the consumer court, not only a city-based surgeon won compensation of Rs2.8 lakh for harassment and deficiency in service, the court also show-caused the general manager (legal) of the company for perjury.
The Maharashtra State Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission, apart from the deficiency in service, rapped Air-India for perjury by its general manager (legal) in its verdict.
Vinayak Ngesh Shrikhande (72), a surgeon residing at Dadar and professor and head of general department of the Bombay Hospital purchased a ticket in the business class (J) of Air-India to travel between Mumbai and New York on October 11 2003, which cost him Rs1.46lakh.
After boarding the aircraft, he found that the seat could not be reclined. He had to travel till London in upright position for over nine hours. Even the seat belt was damaged and did not work. Flight attendants failed to repair both.
Shrikhande was not even offered another seat in the J class despite the airlines upgrading some of the Y class passengers to the J class and offering free seats to its own staff.
When he filed an official complaint to the consumer forum, the A-I filed a written statement signed by the general manager (legal) which claimed that Shrikhande’s claims were false. On examining the documents, statements affidavits and records, the commission strongly denounced the statement by the general manager (legal).
16/05/06 Aditya Ghosh/Daily News & Analysis

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