A consumer commission in Chhattisgarh has ordered a travel company to pay Rs 30,000 in compensation and legal costs to an elderly couple who were repeatedly displaced from their reserved seats during a bus journey.
The District Consumer Commission ruled that failing to honor confirmed seat bookings and arbitrarily moving passengers to accommodate others constitutes a deficiency in service under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. The bench, comprising President Sujata Jaiswal and Member Dakeshwar Soni, directed the bus operator to pay Rs 20,000 for mental agony, Rs 10,000 for litigation expenses, and refund all admissible travel charges.
Repeated Seat Shifting During Trip
The dispute stemmed from a December 21, 2025 travel from Kanker to Raipur. The couple, aged 61 and 57, had booked two specific seats online at Rs 500 each. Following departure, bus staff requested that they vacate their initial seats, stating that another passenger had booked seat number two. After being moved to seat number four, the staff required them to shift again so a woman and two children could take those positions.
Although the senior citizens raised objections regarding their confirmed reservations, the bus crew ignored their complaints and continued reassigning their seats over a distance of nearly 30 kilometers. After receiving no response to a legal notice served to the travel company, the couple approached the consumer forum for redressal.
Lack Of Defense Evidence
While the bus operator denied the allegations and requested that the complaint be dismissed, the commission highlighted that the company failed to submit any affidavits or witness testimonies to support its defense. Consequently, the documentary evidence provided by the passengers remained unrebutted.
In its July 22 order, the commission emphasized that transport providers are legally bound to supply the specific seats purchased by travelers, affirming that passengers are entitled to financial compensation when operators reassign seats for operational convenience.
