Anyone who has ever tried to get a refund from Deutsche Bahn knows what perseverance means. In the past, this was only possible on paper, but now it also works in the Bahn app on the smartphone – but only as long as it is a standard case. However, anyone who tries to get a reimbursement for a seat reservation that has expired or a canceled trip with a nine-euro ticket, for example, disappears into the shallows of the online form, they will give up after ten minutes at the latest and throw the few euros in the wind.
And then there is Tungnath Chaturvedi. The Indian had bought two train tickets at the counter in 1999. He wanted to drive from his hometown of Mathura to Moradabad in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, a journey of around five hours. The tickets cost 35 rupees each; Chaturvedi paid with a 100 rupee note. However, he only got back ten rupees. Despite protests, the clerk at the Chaturvedi counter did not return the remaining change of 20 rupees.
20 rupees are currently 24 cents. The vast majority of Germans would not even bend down when they see the coins on the street in front of them. Not so Chaturvedi. The lawyer sued the Indian railway company. He fought in court for around 22 years. The case took so long because the Indian judicial system is chronically overloaded. Even simple disputes take years before a judge deals with them. In addition, the railway tried to have the case dismissed due to formal errors.
But Chaturvedi did not give up. The 66-year-old told the British broadcaster BBC that he had been to more than 100 hearings. It was worth it: a civil court has now found the man right. The railway company has to pay him the equivalent of a fine of 180 euros and give him back the 20 rupees with twelve percent interest. Was it really worth it? It wasn’t worth the energy and time, Chaturvedi told the BBC. But: “It’s not about the money. It was always about the fight for justice and the fight against corruption, so it was worth it.” He believes his case will serve as an inspiration to others that “you don’t have to give up even if the fight looks tough”.
In any case, the employees of the Indian railway company will hopefully be more careful with change in the future. Chaturvedi’s case should also be an inspiration for all resigned German train drivers who are stranded at the stop at night because of a canceled train and have not received a taxi voucher, whose reservation is null and void because of a changed car sequence, or because of the lack of goodwill from the train received no compensation for the nine-euro ticket. Chaturvedis in this country: The German train travelers are behind you.