UP Student Misses Exam Due To Train Delay, Gets Rs 9 Lakh Compensation From Railways After 7 Years

Seven years after a delayed train cost a young girl an important exam in Uttar Pradesh's Basti, she has been awarded Rs 9.1 lakh in compensation. 

Seven years after a railway delay derailed a teenager’s academic dream, a district consumer disputes redressal commission in Uttar Pradesh's Basti has ordered the Indian Railways to pay Rs 9.1 lakh in compensation to the young woman. The ruling holds the railways directly responsible for the delay that cost the student a shot at admission to Lucknow University’s BSc biotechnology course.

The legal battle began in 2018, when Samriddhi, then just 17, set out from Basti on the morning of May 7 to appear for the entrance test. Her exam centre was Jai Narayan PG College in Lucknow, and candidates were required to be seated by 12.30 pm.

Samriddhi boarded the Gorakhpur-Lucknow Intercity Superfast Express, which reaches Basti at 6.55 am and was scheduled to arrive in Lucknow by 11 am. Instead, the train arrived in Lucknow two-and-a-half hours late, shutting the doors on her exam.

The commission’s ruling acknowledges the emotional distress and lost opportunity caused by the delay.