An online learning licence test that was supposed to save 18-year-old Brijesh Dalvadi a trip to the RTO instead became the beginning of a nearly year-long battle.
A second-year BSc student at Sarvajanik University, Dalvadi had chosen the online route for his learning licence test. When a technical problem prevented him from completing the examination, he began approaching different authorities for a solution.
The matter eventually moved from the Surat RTO to the National Informatics Centre (NIC), then to the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) and finally to the Surat Consumer District Redressal Commission (Additional).
The dispute ended after the RTO refunded the ₹900 he had paid for the test.
An online test that never got completed
Dalvadi had applied for the learning licence examination on October 9, 2025, through the “No Need to Visit RTO” facility.
After completing his e-KYC, he paid the examination fee online using a credit card and accessed the test through the Sarathi portal on his laptop. But he could not complete the examination.
Dalvadi said he tried repeatedly over several days, but a software or technical problem continued to interrupt the test.
From the RTO to the NIC
Looking for a solution, Dalvadi approached the Surat RTO and requested assistance as well as a refund of the examination fee.
According to Dalvadi, RTO officials directed him to the National Informatics Centre, which handles the examination portal. He submitted the required details to NIC but said he did not receive a solution.
At one point, he was also told that his laptop might not meet the technical requirements for the examination. Dalvadi disputed this explanation, saying the laptop was new when he attempted the test.
Even the CMO intervention did not settle it
With the matter still unresolved, Dalvadi approached the Chief Minister’s Office through its “Write to CMO” facility. The CMO subsequently directed the Surat RTO to look into his complaint.
Dalvadi said that despite this intervention, the issue remained unresolved and the refund was still not released.
The student turns to the consumer commission
After approaching the RTO, NIC and CMO, Dalvadi decided to take the matter further.
He said he was initially unsure whether a government service could be challenged under consumer law. After looking into the issue, he filed a complaint before the Surat Consumer District Redressal Commission (Additional) against the Commissioner of Transport, Gujarat. The move eventually brought the dispute to a close.
₹900 refunded after commission notice
Following a notice from the consumer commission, the RTO conducted an internal review of the matter. The department subsequently refunded the ₹900 test fee to Dalvadi.
Both sides reached a compromise, following which the Surat CDRC (Additional) disposed of the complaint on September 11.
“It was not about the ₹900”
For Dalvadi, the amount involved was relatively small compared with the time and effort he spent pursuing the issue. He said his decision to continue with the matter was driven by what he described as the attitude of RTO officials, rather than simply recovering the ₹900.
What began as an unsuccessful online learning licence test eventually took the 18-year-old student through several government offices and, finally, the consumer commission before the matter was resolved.
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