73-year-old Ranvir Singh Yadav has been fighting a case for more than 40 years.
Highlights
- Ranvir Singh Yadav worked as the conductor of a DTC bus
- He was sacked after allegedly overcharging passenger, pocketing 5 paise
- Labour court held his sacking illegal, case has been held up in appeals
The 5 paise coin had been out of circulation for decades. But that is exactly the amount over which 73-year-old Ranvir Singh Yadav has been fighting a case for more than 40 years. With the Delhi Transport Corporation as the complainant, lakhs of rupees have been spent over the years as legal fees by both sides.
Back in 1973, Mr Yadav worked as the conductor of a DTC bus. The allegation against him was that he charged a woman passenger 15 paise, gave her a ticket of 10 paise and pocketed the extra 5.
After allegation by checking staff who had boarded the bus, an internal inquiry was held and he was sacked in 1976.
Though Mr Yadav won the case in Labour Court in 1990, which held his sacking illegal, the transport body appealed the following year. Till date, it has spent Rs 47,000 to fight the case.
"Even my children would ask me if I had cheated," said Mr Yadav, who, at the time, had two young sons to bring up. "I would be at pains to explain to them that I haven't cheated... Others go on pilgrimages, I have been going to court."
When the High court finally dismissed the petition of the DTC in January this year, it asked the transport body to pay Rs 30,000 to Mr. Yadav. A gratuity of Rs.1.28 lakh and another Rs.1.37 lakh as CPF should be paid to him, the court ruled.
During the hearing, the court asked the DTC how many lakhs have been spent on litigation over the years to recover 5 paise.
"Here is a case, where the respondent has been fighting a prolonged battle with the DTC spanning over 40 years and despite having won the case in the Labour Court and the High Court, he has not been able to reap the fruits," the court said.
But the legal battle isn't over, as he has another hearing in the Karkardooma court on May 26.
"Whether the case was worth 5 paise or 2 paise, the way we have been penalised for it, it is worth lakhs of rupees. Even the currency has disappeared, but we are still stuck," said Mr Yadav's wife Vimla.