Nearly three decades after a railway clerk in Mumbai didn’t return the excess amount of Rs 6, the Bombay High Court has upheld the dismissal of a booking clerk from Kurla terminus, Mumbai. The court found substantial direct evidence of overcharging and no irregularities in the clerk’s removal from service.
Rajesh Verma, who had been employed by the railways for just two years, faced a “decoy check” in August 1997. During this operation, a Railway Police Force (RPF) personnel posing as a passenger purchased a ticket to Ara in Bihar for Rs 214. Although he paid Rs 500, he received only Rs 280 in return. This triggered a vigilance team investigation, leading to the discovery of Rs 450 allegedly hidden in a cupboard behind Verma’s counter.
