PAWAN HANS HELICOPTER LIMITED Vs. PASANG DORJI SONA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The complainant (respondent no. 1 in both these appeals) filed a complaint (no. AP/CP-16/2002) before the Arunachal Pradesh State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Naharlagun (hereafter, the State Commission ) alleging deficiency on the part of the State of Arunachal Pradesh (represented through Secretary, Civil Aviation Department, Government of Arunachal Pradesh) and Pawan Hans Helicopter Service, Naharlagun (hereafter, Pawan Hans ) alleging that on 08.10.2001, the Pawan Hans helicopter flight from Naharlagun to Guwahati departed from Naharlagun at 09.50 a.m. instead of the scheduled departure time of 10.30 a.m., without any intimation to the complainant though he had a confirmed ticket for travelling from Naharlagun to Guwahati on that day. The complainant further alleged that as a result of this deficiency on the part of the opposite parties, he was unable to travel to New Delhi by catching the connecting flight from Guwahati and failed to appear at the office of Alliance On-Line Services Private Limited in Vasant Kunj, New Delhi on 09.10.2001 in pursuance of that company s letter dated 17.09.2001 and thus accept the offer of appointment as Legal Advisor in the said company on monthly remuneration of Rs.25,000/-. The complainant accordingly prayed for award of a sum of Rs.13.90 lakh on various counts, including loss of salary for three years, reimbursement of costs incurred and compensation for tortious liability.

(2.) After detailed consideration of the matter including documents produced by the parties as well as the evidence brought on record, the State Commission, by its order dated 10.08.2009, directed the opposite parties to pay to the complainant, jointly and severally, the sum of Rs.4.60 lakh within two months from the date of the said order, with the stipulation that failure to do so would entitle the complainant to interest on the said amount @ 9% per annum from the date of the order till final payment.

(3.) Aggrieved by the said order of the State Commission, both Pawan Hans and the State/Government of Arunachal Pradesh have come up in appeal.