KOCHI: The Ernakulam District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has directed the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) to pay Rs 45,000 as compensation to a 65-year-old complainant whose 76-year-old husband suffered a serious injury due to deficiency of service. While the directive brought relief to the complainant, Chandrika Mohandas, the order was special. For the first time, the commission issued the order in Malayalam.
According to Chandrika, winning a prolonged case and then being the first person to receive an order in Malayalam, “our mother tongue”, feels very special. “Of course, the pain and struggle that my family and I underwent remain fresh in my mind. But to be a part of a change, and that too a positive one, feels good,” she said. Chandrika’s three-year-old fight for justice began after the fateful day on October 7, 2023.
“The day should have been one filled with fun and happiness. But the KSRTC bus ride to Malakkappara, a pleasure trip organised by the Edappally Vadakkumbhagom Residents Association, turned into a tragedy for my family. We had booked the seats for the trip. But when we reached Kalamassery, my husband, who was 73 years old at that time, was forcibly made to get up from his seat and was ordered to move elsewhere.
Later during the journey, after the driver applied brake suddenly, my husband fell and fractured his left wrist. He underwent surgery. As a result, he suffered severe pain and continues to rely on painkillers for relief,” said Chandrika. She narrated how she continued the fight, even presenting the case before the commission.
“And she won,” said D B Binu, president, Ernakulam District Consumer Disputes Commission. According to him, the decision to issue the order in Malayalam was a conscious one.
“It should be understood that there is no legal bar on pronouncing judgments in the mother tongue in lower courts. Actually, English is considered the official language only in High Courts and the Supreme Court. Already, the lower courts in other states, like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh, and even the Northern states, write orders in the native language. However, that has not been the case in Keralam,” he said.
According to him, this is a first. “Understanding legal terms and terminologies in English will not be easy for everyone. Here, in this case, the complainant represented herself.
She didn’t use a lawyer’s help. However, we felt that giving her an order in English would force her to use the services of a lawyer to decipher the terms. And the timing was also right. November 1, being the state’s formation day, and the week-long observance of Malayalam as the official language across all administrative spheres. However, since November 1 was a Sunday, we issued the order on Monday,” he said.
