Bengaluru: A simple typing error while booking a train ticket turned into a costly lesson for an IT professional, who was fined more than Rs 7,000 and treated as a ticketless traveller despite carrying a valid reservation and identity proof.After quitting his job in Bengaluru, 24-year-old Ramakant M was preparing to return to his hometown, Nagpur, Maharashtra, on June 23. Around 8pm, he boarded Train 22691 KSR Bengaluru–Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express. The journey appeared routine until the travelling ticket examiner (TTE) arrived to verify tickets.Seated in his reserved second AC berth, Ramakant showed his e-ticket on his phone. What followed left him stunned.“When I displayed the ticket, the TTE asked me to come with him to the first AC coach. Another TTE joined us there. They told me my ticket was invalid and that I might have to pay a penalty amounting to twice the fare,” Ramakant recalled.According to him, the officials pointed out that his age had been entered as “1” instead of “24” while booking the ticket. “Initially, I thought there was some problem with their system. But when I checked the ticket myself, I realised it was a typing error from my end,” he said.Ramakant said he immediately produced his ID proof to establish his age and identity. However, the officials maintained that the ticket was invalid because the age details did not match.“This was a genuine error. Even if I had entered my correct age, the fare would have remained exactly the same because I did not claim any concession or discount. I was carrying a valid govt ID that matched my name and identity. Despite that, I was charged Rs 7,035 for travelling ‘without ticket’, taking my total travel cost to more than Rs 10,000,” he said.Left with little choice, Ramakant paid the penalty through UPI and received a receipt. After reaching Nagpur on June 24, he filed a complaint through the RailMadad grievance redressal system seeking a refund of the fine. The complaint, however, was closed within a day. In its response, the railways said the action taken by the ticket-checking staff was in accordance with existing rules.The official closing remark stated: “During ticket checking, it was found that the age particulars furnished were incorrect and did not match the actual age of the passenger travelling.”The railways further said passengers are required to verify ticket details after booking and rectify discrepancies at a Passenger Reservation System (PRS) counter before chart preparation and journey commencement. “In this case, the discrepancy was not rectified prior to boarding the train. Accordingly, the passenger was treated as travelling without a proper ticket and charged under Section 138 of the Railways Act, 1989,” the response read.Will conduct inquiry: SWRSouth Western Railway (SWR) said the penalty was legally permissible in cases involving discrepancies in passenger details, but acknowledged concerns about the manner in which the matter was handled.“It is not possible to book a ticket through the IRCTC website for a one-year-old to travel alone. It could have been a technical glitch. We’ll examine how the passenger’s age was recorded as one,” said SWR chief public relations officer Manjunath Kanamadi. “However, while the fine might be legal, there was no need for the ticket-checking staff to take the passenger to the pantry or another compartment; we’ve initiated an inquiry into this matter.”Frustrated by the outcome, Ramakant questioned how such a booking could have been accepted in the first place. “As per the rules, I understand that the mistake was mine and I have no issue if they strictly followed the law. But how can IRCTC allow a one-year-old to travel alone? That simply doesn’t make sense,” he said.
