Sri S.K.Sahoo,President.

             The complainant has filed the  present complaint  U/s.  12 of C.P.Act, 1986.

2.        The  case  of the  complainant is that  on 03.02.2018  he has  posted a letter at Rengali Dam  site sub-post office  to  IIC Rengali Police Station  through regd. post  No. RO79034676IN .Due  to   the  negligence of the  postal staff it  was reached at the destination on 02.03.2018.Hence  this  case for compensation.

3.          Notice  was  issued to  both the opp.parties  through  Regd. post  with A.D  on 20.09.2018.

          In  pursuance of  such  notice   the Learned Additional Standing  Counsel for Govt. of India ,Angul District  entered  his appearance and filed a  written statement on 01.12.2018. The case of the opp.parties is that Regd. letter was booked  at Rengali dam site sub-post office  on 02.09.2018  which was   addressed to Rengali P.S and meant  for   local delivery. All the  departmental  post offices  under Dhenkanal  postal  division was proposed  for   migration  to  Core System  Integration  System  on 23.01.2018. For completion of  smooth  rollout  all the  departmental  post offices  were   instructed  not to  do any  financial transaction  on 17.02.2018  which was displayed  on  notice  boards. On 23.01.2018  there was  completion of  rollout  in departmental  post offices. Due  to such stoppage of financial work there was a huge  accumulation of different type of work  including the  distribution of letters, articles  received at the  post  office. All the department staffs worked  hard to  clear-up all the  accumulated  mails  along with  other nature of pending  work  for regularisation. There is  no deficiency  in service of service  on the part of the opp.parties. However U/s.6  of Indian Post Office Act, 1898 the Department  is  not liable for any loss, mis-delivery, delay or  damage caused  during  transmission  of  postal articles. Hence  the case be  dismissed. 

4.       Perused the  complaint petition and show cause filed by the opp.parties. We have also  gone through  the  documents  filed by both the parties  before this Forum/Commission. Admittedly  the  complainant  had  booked  a Regd. letter at Rengali Dam site  sub-post office on 03.02.2018  which was  address  to IIC, Rengali Police Station. It is  also clear   from the  documents filed by the opp.parties that the staffs of the opp.parties  were engaged  in  migration of  Core System Integration System  from 18.01.2018 to 23.01.2018. It is  also  admitted that the letter was reached at the destination only on 01.03.2018. Annexure-A/3 is the photo copy of delivery endorsement. So  admittedly there is a long  delay in delivery of the Regd. letter even though the letter was of the local area. However Section-6  of the Indian Post Office Act 1898  is relevant  to decide  the dispute between  the parties . Section-6 of the   aforesaid  act is extracted below:-

“Exemption from liability for loss, misdelivery, delay or damage:- The [Government] shall not incur any liability by reason of the loss, misdelivery or delay d, or damage to, any postal article in course of transmission by post, except in so far as such liability may in express terms be undertaken by the Central Government as hereinafter provided; and no officer of the Post Office shall incur any liability by reason of any such loss, misdelivery, delay or damage, unless he has caused the same fraudulently or by his wilful act or default”.

The opp.parties have  also relied  on a decision  passed by the  Hon’ble  National Commission, New Delhi  in Revision Petition No. 4567 of 2012  dtd. 11.09.2013. On perusal of  Section-6  of  Indian Post Office  Act, 1898  and  the  decision relied on   by the opp.parties  it  is  clear that :-

“The Post Master has no hire, enters into no contract, carries on no merchandize of commerce. But the post office is a branch of revenue, and a branch of police, created by Act of Parliament. As a branch of revenue, there are great receipts; but there is likewise a great surplus of benefit and advantage to the public, arising from the fund. As a branch of police it puts the whole correspondence of the kingdom (for the exceptions are very trifling) under government, and entrusts the management and direction of it to the crown, and officers appointed by the crown. There is no analogy therefore between the case of the Post Master an common carrie(Lora Mansfield in Whitfield Vrs. Le Despencer (1778) 2 Cowp 754)."

There is no allegations of  any fraudulent order wilful act or default by the   postal employees. So in view of  Section-6  of Indian  Post Office Act. 1898, the post officials are not  liable in the present case for delay  in delivery  of the letter despatched  by the complainant  at Rengali site sub-post office  on 03.02.2018. There is no  deficiency  in service on the part of the opp.parties.

5.       Hence order :-

: O R D E R :

            The  case be and  the same  is  dismissed on contest against the opp.parties.