Consumer court orders Uber to pay Rs 20,000 to Mumbai lady for poor services
Mumbai: Held guilty by a district consumer court in the city of deficiency in services, Uber India has been ordered to pay Rs 20,000 to a local customer as compensation.
Complainant Kavita Sharma, an advocate from Dombivli, had missed her flight to Chennai on June 12, 2018, due to a delay caused by the Uber driver on the way to the airport. The firm was told by the court recently to pay Rs 10,000 for mental agony and an additional Rs 10,000 as litigation cost, reported Times of India.
Sharma was to take the flight from the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport at 5:50 pm and booked an Uber cab at around 3:29 pm to reach the airport, which was 36 km from her house. The car arrived at her house in 14 minutes, the driver picking her only after several calls. Also, the driver was busy with his phone even after arriving and started the trip to the airport only after finishing his phone call. The driver took a wrong turn, and also drove the vehicle to a CNG station, wasting an additional quarter hour, the complainant has said.
The car reached the airport at only 5:23 pm. Sharma missed her flight and was forced to take the next available flight to Chennai at her own expense. In addition, while the estimated fare for the journey was Rs 563 at the time of booking, the complainant was billed an amount of Rs 703.
Sharma accused the driver of having been negligent and also unprofessional in conduct, causing her to miss her flight. She also said that, after she posted about the matter on Twitter, Uber refunded her Rs 139, the difference in the estimated fare and the actual fare for the trip.
After a legal notice to the transport firm for compensation also proved futile, Sharma is learned to have filed a complaint with the Thane additional district consumer disputes redressal commission.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
