HC orders Air India to deposit Rs 5L for missing flyer's wheelchair

The High Court of Karnataka has ordered Air India to deposit Rs 5 lakh with it for failing to transport the wheelchair of a disabled passenger on a London-bound flight, which "greatly hassled" the traveller.  

Justice Vineet Kothari gave the orders while hearing a petition for compensation filed by Dr Rajalakshmi S J (30) and her mother Dr S Shobha. Dr Rajalakshmi is physically handicapped.  

The petitioner said her customised wheelchair went missing from the luggage and that the airport authorities in London refused her a wheelchair. She was made to sit on a bench without any support.  When she approached the Air India staff, they informed her the wheelchair hadn't been sent from India in the first place and that it would arrive at 7 pm local time. The wheelchair did not, however, arrive until the next day, leading her to miss a flight to Scotland and causing her "heavy monetary losses and mental agony".

Her travails didn't end there.  She had to face a lot of difficulties as the travel agent didn't book rooms for her stay and she wasn't served any food. She was given a room which was not equipped for a person with a physical disability. What's more, the travel agent demanded a huge sum to carry her around in the wheelchair.

She suffered a lot of health problems during her Europe trip due to the poor facilities and inadequate food provided by the travel agent. She was forced to return to India because of her worsening health.

She approached the court seeking a refund of the money she paid to the travel agent and sought compensation for the medical expenses she incurred despite having travel insurance. She also urged the court to order the travel agent to get her luggage back from the hotel where she stayed in London.

She wants Air India to refund her air ticket expenses and arrange for a trip from London to Switzerland.  

The petition will be heard again on April 3.