Title - : Madras High Court orders action on abuse complaint

It pays to be polite and an official of the Southern Railway may learn this the hard way.

The Madras High Court has directed Southern Railway to take action on a complaint that a booking counter official ‘shouted at and abused’ a customer.

Justice N. Paul Vasanthakumar passed the interim direction on a writ petition filed by advocate V. Vasanthakumar.

The petitioner said he went to Chennai Central railway station on September 5, 2011, to book a ticket. When he enquired about the availability of some tickets, the official behind the counter shouted at and abused him, he alleged.

Mr. Vasanthakumar complained about the matter to senior officials. One week later, he submitted a detailed representation to the general manager of Southern Railway.

Though the authorities sent a reply, no action was taken against the errant official, he said.

He then moved the High Court.

Peitition transferred

When the matter came up, the standing counsel for the railways said the petition must be directed to the senior divisional commercial manager (SDCM) for appropriate action.

Following this, Justice Vasanthakumar directed SDCM to take action based on the complaint and submit a report to the court within four weeks.

The matter has been posted for November 26.