Tungnath Chaturvedi, from the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, sued after he was charged an extra 20 rupees (around €0.24 or £0.21) for two tickets in 1999, the BBC reports.

After more than 100 hearings, a consumer court has ordered the railway company to pay 15,000 rupees (€183 or £155) in damages and refund the original 20 rupees with 12 per cent interest per year.

Following the ruling, Mr Chaturvedi said: “It’s not the money that matters. This was always about a fight for justice and a fight against corruption, so it was worth it.”

He added that the compensation did not adequately make up for the mental anguish caused by the case.