A 22-year battle over R4
An Indian lawyer, Tungnath Chaturvedi, was charged 20 rupees more than he was supposed to be in 1999, and he took this up legally. After 22 years, he has won the case.
Have you ever been overcharged for something?
How would you define your reaction? Is it about the principle behind the money or about the money itself?
Well, whichever category you fall into, it can be said that everyone's motivation isn't the same. Sometimes it has nothing to do with the above and is rather about something else.
Whatever the reason, rest assured with things such as this, patience is key...
Tungnath Chaturvedi, a lawyer, was charged 20 rupees more than he was supposed to be charged for two train tickets in 1999.
He decided to take this to court after he received no response from the booking agent that overcharged him in the first place.
Mr Chaturvedi took the case to the consumer court, and with the several delays with the judiciary system, "his family tried to dissuade him several times from pursuing the case, calling it a waste of time, but he kept going." (BBC)
But he was determined to fight against corruption. This is what the purpose behind his fight was - not pettiness or the money, but the fact that he had a voice and so that justice over corruption could prevail.
"After the long fight, the judgement ordered the railways to pay him a fine of 15,000 rupees ($188; R3,078). The court also directed the railways to refund him the 20 rupees at 12% interest per year, from 1999 to 2022. The court also ordered that if the amount was not paid in the specified time of 30 days, the interest rate would be revised to 15%." (BBC)
He spoke about the mental anguish that the case had on him, but the drive to fight against corruption made it all worth it in the end.
According to BBC: "He also believes that no matter what a person's official designation is, they "can't get away with wrongdoings if people are prepared to question them about it". He said that he believed that his case would serve as an inspiration to others that "one doesn't need to give up even when the fight looks tough"."
We would have to believe him there considering he didn't give up after 22 years. Now that's what we call being dedicated to a cause.
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