The Supreme Court has called upon the Indian Railways to take stronger steps to prevent overcrowding in trains, observing that passengers continue to lose their lives after falling from packed coaches.
The Bench of Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice Nongmeikapam Kotiswar Singh on Friday also suggested that the Railways stop referring to travellers as “second class passengers,” saying that the classification should apply to the coach and not the passenger, in keeping with the values of the Constitution.
The Court made the observations while allowing an appeal filed by the widow of a man who died after falling from a moving train in 2015. The Court awarded her compensation of Rs eight lakh, holding that the mere absence of the deceased’s train ticket could not be a ground to deny compensation under the Railways Act.
The Court pointed out that deaths from train overcrowding are a recurring reality. It stressed that although these tragedies might appear negligible in broader railway statistics, they represent profound, irreplaceable losses for the families left behind.
Referring to recent accidents, the Court cited the June 2025 Mumbai suburban train tragedy, in which four commuters died after falling from overcrowded local trains, the stampede at New Delhi Railway Station during the Maha Kumbh rush, and several similar incidents across the country. These, the Court said, highlight the continuing safety risks posed by overcrowding.
The Bench pointed out that the Indian Railway Commercial Manual already outlines specific protocols for staff to manage overcrowding. These include distributing passengers evenly, warning upcoming stations of packed trains, and adding extra coaches as needed. However, the Court noted that while the planning is evident, the actual implementation falls short.
The Court also pointed out that effective implementation of these measures would require additional manpower. It suggested that the Railways recruit more young people, noting that doing so would not only create employment but also help save lives by improving safety and crowd management.
At the same time, the Court stressed that passengers too have a responsibility to ensure their own safety. It observed that while the Railways cannot escape its duty, passengers should also avoid taking unnecessary risks by boarding or travelling on dangerously overcrowded trains, adding that preserving life must take precedence over convenience.
Criticising the term “second class passenger” in Railway manuals, the Court stated that class distinctions should be attached to coaches, not people. It emphasised that while the term reflects fare prices, maintaining such labels for individuals is offensive to the constitutional ethos of equality and ignores India’s sensitive history of social division.
On the facts of the case, the Court found that the Railway Claims Tribunal and the Madhya Pradesh High Court had wrongly rejected the widow’s claim solely because her husband’s train ticket was not recovered after the accident. The widow had consistently maintained that the ticket was kept in his travel bag, which went missing after the incident.
Reiterating that Section 124A of the Railways Act provides compensation on a no-fault basis, the Court held that the widow had discharged her initial burden by filing an affidavit stating that the deceased was travelling with a valid ticket. The loss of the ticket in the accident, it said, could not by itself disqualify him from being treated as a bona fide passenger.
Accordingly, the Supreme Court set aside the orders of the Railway Claims Tribunal and the Madhya Pradesh High Court and directed the Railways to pay the widow compensation of Rs 8 lakh within four weeks. The Court further ordered that if the amount is not paid within the stipulated time, it will carry interest at the rate of 8 percent per annum from the date the claim petition was filed.
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