V.K.Jain, Presiding Member—The complainant reserved three seats in Guruvayur Chennai Express for travelling on 28.01.2012. The booking was confirmed in compartment D-3. According to the complainant when he alongwith his friends reached the railway station, the door of D-3 compartment was found locked from inside. The complainant sought help of Railway Police Protection Force, but no one helped him and his friends. As a result, they could not board the train and could not attend the business meeting at Madurai. Being aggrieved, the complainant approached the concerned District Forum seeking refund of fare paid by them as well as the compensation.

2. The complaint was resisted by the petitioners on the ground that the halting time of the train being only three minutes at Haripad railway station, the complainant must have reached the concerned railway station very late.

3. Before the District Forum, the complainant was examined as PW-1, whereas no evidence was produced by the petitioners. Vide its order dated 22.06.2012, the District Forum directed the petitioners to refund an amount of Rs. 291/-, being the ticket charge and also to pay compensation of Rs. 50,000/- and co