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Announce halting stations in long-distance trains to prevent accidents, suggests Bombay HC
The observation came while the court allowed an appeal filed by a Nashik district resident who was injured after attempting to get off a moving train at Jalgaon station, which was not a scheduled halt.
Justice Jain observed that while passengers should avoid risking their lives by getting off moving trains, such reactions are often driven by panic.
The Bombay High Court has suggested that the Railways introduce announcements on all long-distance trains, specifying their halting stations similar to the system followed in Vande Bharat Express to help prevent accidents involving passengers.
The observation came while the court allowed an appeal filed by a Nashik district resident who was injured after attempting to get off a moving train at Jalgaon station, which was not a scheduled halt.
A single-judge bench of Justice Jitendra S Jain, in an order dated March 24, set aside the Railway Claims Tribunal’s 2018 decision that had rejected the claim on the grounds that the incident was a “self-inflicted injury” and did not qualify as an “untoward incident”.
The court awarded Rs 80,000 as compensation to the petitioner, Rohidas Bandu Kumavat, holding that he was a bona fide passenger who had boarded the train under the impression that it would stop at Jalgaon.
According to the case, Kumavat was travelling from Manmad to Jalgaon on the Guwahati Express. As the train approached Jalgaon but did not halt, he attempted to alight due to rush and panic, slipped, and fell, sustaining injuries.
Justice Jain observed that while passengers should avoid risking their lives by getting off moving trains, such reactions are often driven by panic.
“At that point of time, a person loses mental balance and attempts to de-board without any intention of self-inflicted injury,” the court noted.
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The bench pointed out that unlike suburban trains, long-distance trains do not have clear display boards or announcements indicating non-halting stations. “No announcements are made that the train will not halt at certain stations. In such circumstances, no fault can be attributed to a passenger,” the court said.
It added that passengers should ideally wait until the next scheduled stop and, if necessary, pay a penalty for travelling beyond their destination. However, acknowledging human behaviour in such situations, the court stressed the need for systemic safeguards.
“The Railway authorities should introduce a public announcement system like that in Vande Bharat trains in all trains to reduce such incidents,” the judge said.
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