News / बातमी
News : Driver Wins Case Against NHAI for Overcharged Toll Fees
- A driver named Santosh Kumar MB from Bangalore has emerged victorious in his legal battle against the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for charging him extra toll fees. Following the court’s decision, NHAI has been ordered to refund the additional charges and compensate Santosh with Rs 8,000.
- Santosh Kumar MB, a 38-year-old resident of Gandhinagar, noticed that Rs 5 had been deducted twice from his FASTag account while driving on a national highway.
- Although it was a small amount of Rs 10, Santosh decided to take NHAI to court for the unfair charges.
- Santosh had traveled on a section of the national highway in Chitradurga on two different dates – February 20 and May 16, 2020. When he checked his FASTag account, he realized that Rs 40 had been deducted instead of the expected Rs 35.
- This meant that Rs 5 was taken twice when he crossed the toll booth.
- FASTag is a system that helps drivers pay tolls electronically.
- In Santosh’s case, there was an error that caused the system to deduct the wrong amount.
- Despite Santosh’s attempts to resolve the issue with NHAI officials and the project director, he received no help. Frustrated, he decided to sue NHAI, the Chitradurga project director, and the manager of JAS Toll Road Company Limited in Nagpur.
- During the court case, NHAI representatives did not show up, and the JAS company missed the deadline to present their defense.
- A lawyer representing NHAI claimed that the toll fees were correct and requested the case to be dismissed.
- However, the court ruled in favor of Santosh Kumar MB.
- The court determined that the extra toll charges were unfair and ordered NHAI to refund the additional money deducted from Santosh’s FASTag account.
- Additionally, Santosh was granted Rs 8,000 as compensation for the inconvenience caused.
- This victory for Santosh highlights the importance of fair toll collection and ensures that drivers are not overcharged.
- It sets an example for similar cases in the future, protecting the rights of drivers on national highways.