Other States - New Delhi   

Nail-biting end to a cricket fan's trauma

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI OCT. 29. It was poetic justice for a true cricket fan. Not allowed entry into Ferozshah Kotla Stadium last year even though he had a ticket, he wanted to settle scores with the Delhi and District Cricket Association for missing out on a nail-biting final between India and England.

Determined to get the Association to compensate for his not cheering for India in person, Harsimron Singh Sandhu went to a consumer court. However, the road to justice was longer than he expected.

Even though a district consumer court held the Association guilty of deficiency in service for denying him entry into the cricket-ground, it was only after the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission upheld the verdict that Mr. Singh got what was due to him.

In his case before the district consumer redressal forum, Mr. Singh had argued that he had arrived at the stadium with his family early in the morning, but he was told that there were no seats. An ardent cricket fan, he waited in vain for hours at the stadium hoping to get in. A district consumer redressal forum found the Cricket Association guilty of deficiency in service and directed it to refund Rs. 8,000 per ticket at a 9 per cent interest from the date of the match till payment. The association was further directed to pay Rs. 40,000 as compensation, together with Rs. 1,000 as costs.

The Association went in appeal to the State Commission, which upheld the order of the district forum. Aggrieved by the decision of the State Commission, the Association filed a petition in the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission.

The bench of the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission stated that "it was distressing'' that the Association stated that Mr. Singh should have come much earlier if he was interested to witness the match.

Dismissing the Association's argument that Mr. Singh should have contacted an official when he was not let in, the bench observed: "He does not tell us where such an officer was available when there was a mad rush. Why was not such an officer available at the gate itself to give refund of the ticket and at the same time apologise for selling more tickets than the stadium could accommodate?''

Holding the Association guilty of deficiency in service, the bench stated that when a ticket is sold the purchaser is promised that he will have entry in the stadium and will be provided a comfortable space in that particular category to witness the match.

The Singh family had been denied their right to watch the match, even though they had bought expensive tickets of Rs. 2,000 each. And instead of being apologetic and settling the claim with Mr. Singh, the Association has presented a "special" plea, the bench stated.

Dismissing the petition, the bench held: "The amount of disappointment which Mr. Singh would have faced could have been more than what they were compensated for. First they purchased the tickets after visiting the bank, and then they came to the stadium with valid tickets from Saket, a far off colony in Delhi, and were yet denied entry into the stadium."

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Other States

News: Front Page | National | Southern States | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary |

Stories in this Section

• Congress panel working on final list
• NSUI plans Internet campaign
• Felling trees, DDA way
• An awareness drive on brain diseases
• Not many meters faulty, says DERC
• Special dengue camps planned
• Nail-biting end to a cricket fan's trauma

Copyright © 2003, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu