An Indian lawyer has won a 22-year lawsuit, demanding a refund for the 21p he overcharged for a speeding ticket in 1999.
Tungnath Chaturvedi, 66, finally got the money back last week, along with two decades in interest – a total of £2.90.
He was also fined £154 imposed on the country’s national railway company.
Mr Chaturvedi said afterwards: ‘You cannot put a price on the energy and time I have lost fighting the case.’
He revealed that he had attended more than 100 court hearings over the years and that his family had repeatedly urged him to stop wasting his time.
But he added: ‘It’s not the money that counts. It was always about a fight for justice and a fight against corruption, so it was worth it.”
The incident occurred when Mr Chaturvedi, from Uttar Pradesh, was on his way from Mathura to Moradabad.
Two tickets should have cost 70 rupees, but when he handed 100 for the couple, the clerk gave him only 10 back, according to the BBC.
After his complaint fell on deaf ears, the lawyer decided to sue North East Railway (Gorakhpur) – a division of Indian Railways – and the booking clerk in a consumer court in Mathura.
He said it took so long because of the slow pace of the Indian justice system.
Mr Chaturvedi said he hoped his example would inspire others by showing them that ‘you don’t have to give up, even if the struggle seems difficult’.
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