The Kerala Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has upheld a directive of the Malappuram district forum to Air India and the Emigration Department to pay a compensation of Rs.5 lakh to a passenger who had to face hardships due to deficiency of their services.
Commission’s directiveThe commission headed by president P.R. Barkathali, however, set aside the directive of the forum to pay Rs.1 lakh to the Child Welfare Scheme of the Chief Minister. It said there was no provision for awarding such payment.
The verdict was passed while dismissing the appeals filed by the Airports Authority of India and the director of the Calicut airport, challenging the directives of the district forum. The forum issued the order while allowing a complaint filed by Adeep Nabeel Ahammed of Mangalore. According to him, the incident took place in April 2002 when he was 12 years old. He travelled unaccompanied to Jeddah on that day on an Air India flight to visit his mother employed there.
Unaccompanied minorHe had with him all the travel documents, including passport. However, when he landed at Jeddah, the airport authorities detained him for a day and sent him back the next day on the ground that his passport was not stamped with visa. The airport authorities also imposed a fine of Rs.30,000 on the Calicut airport authority. His uncle was forced to pay the fine. The Calicut airport director and Airports Authority of India contended that stamping of visa and verification of documents were the job of the Emigration Department.
The Dy. SP of the Emigration Department pointed out that the airlines took the responsibility for the safe travel of the unaccompanied minor. The stamping of the visa on the passport was not compulsory.
Rejecting the contention that the complaint was barred by limitation, the commission said that the complaint was filed within two years of his attaining majority.
