MANDEEP GILL Vs. SUDHIR KUMAR

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Aggrieved by the order dated 30.5.2008 passed by the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Chandigarh in Appeal Case No. 885/2008 wherein the petitioner who is the proprietor of a travel agency is directed to pay the Complainant Rs. 1,40,000 alongwith the courier agency, Shri Mandeep Gill proprietor of the travel agency has filed this revision petition before us.

(2.) Shorn of unnecessary details, factual matrix of the case in brief is that Sudhir Kumar complainant had handed over his visa application form duly completed alongwith his valid pass -port and relevant documents to Shri Mandeep Singh Gill, proprietor of G19, Travels Pvt. Limited, Chandigarh for getting a visa to Germany to enable him to attend International Orthopaedic Conference. The complainant had also deposited Rs.36,150 as registration charges with the Conference Organizers. It is the say of the complainant that Shri Gill had assured that vias documents would be sent to Delhi through Blue Dart Courier Company. But he sent the same through Blazeflash Couriers Ltd. The documents were lost in transit.

(3.) The District Forum held that due to the loss of the passport caused by the opposite parties"the travel agency and the courier agency"the complainant could not attend the conference in Germany. Accordingly, the Forum held that the opposite parties to jointly and severally pay Rs. 2,00,000 as compensation to the complainant alongwith Rs. 5,500 as the costs of litigation. The District Forum also observed that the High Court of Punjab and Haryana has directed Mandeep Singh Gill, Proprietor of the Travel Agency to pay to the complainant a sum of Rs. 60,000 in its Order dated 8.4.2008. The District Forum held that this amount shall be adjusted towards the compensation amount of Rs. 2,00,000.