Consumer forum issues order in Malayalam for the first time
The Ernakulam District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission directed KSRTC to pay Rs 45,000 compensation to a complainant.
The Ernakulam District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has directed the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) to pay Rs 45,000 in compensation to Chandrika Mohandas. According to The New Indian Express, the order was issued in Malayalam, marking the first time the commission has done so.
The case involved a 76-year-old man who suffered a fractured left wrist after a KSRTC bus driver applied brakes suddenly during a trip to Malakkappara on October 7, 2023. The complainant, Chandrika Mohandas, stated that her husband was forcibly moved from his booked seat at Kalamassery before the accident occurred.
The injury required surgery and the victim continues to rely on painkillers for relief. Chandrika Mohandas, who represented herself without a lawyer, said that being the first to receive an order in her mother tongue feels special despite the family's struggle.
Ernakulam District Consumer Disputes Commission president D B Binu said the decision to use Malayalam was conscious because English legal terms are not easy for everyone to understand. He noted that while lower courts in states like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka write orders in native languages, this is a first for Kerala.
Binu added that the timing coincided with the week-long observance of Malayalam as the official language and the state's formation day on November 1. Because November 1 was a Sunday, the commission issued the order on Monday.