Odisha Consumer Court Slaps Rs 60K Fine On SpiceJet For Inconvenience To Passenger

Jharsuguda: A district consumer court in Odisha’s Jharsuguda has directed SpiceJet to pay Rs 60,000 compensation to a passenger for the inconvenience caused due to irregularities in the airline’s operations and poor service.

The District Consumer Grievances Redressal Forum gave the order while hearing a case filed by former Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of Jharsuguda Nirmal Mohapatra alleging flaws in the airline’s services. Mohapatra had filed the case after his RTI petition revealed the irregularities.

According to sources, Mohapatra had booked tickets in Spicejet for a family trip to Assam in November 2021. While returning, they boarded a flight from Bagdogra and arrived in Kolkata at 9.30 pm instead of 6.30 as it was diverted to Guwahati without any prior information to pick a passenger who was left behind. He missed his train to Jharsuguda because of the delay and had to hire a taxi. His wife and son also fell ill due to the long journey.

The court on Wednesday ordered Rs 50,000 compensation for the inconvenience caused to the passenger due to faulty coordination and Rs 10,000 for the cost incurred by the applicant in filing the case.