Hello friends, Delhi High Court vs. Indian Railways Imagine that you have reached the station to catch a train, and suddenly there is a stampede. Chaos, jostling and a struggle to save lives A similar scene was seen on 15 February at New Delhi Railway Station, when a stampede broke out due to excessive crowd. Now the Delhi High Court has sought a reply from the railway officials on this matter.

Did the negligence of the railways become the reason

An organization named ‘Arth Vidhi’ had filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) regarding this incident, in which serious allegations were made against the railways. The petition claimed that the railways did not properly follow Sections 57 and 147 of the Railway Act, due to which this accident happened. These sections are related to passenger capacity limits and preventing illegal entry into railway premises. The petition said that on February 15, the railways had sold more than 9,600 unreserved tickets, which led to an excessive crowd. If the railways had followed the rules, such a large number of people would not have been inside the station and there would not have been a stampede.

What did the Delhi High Court say?

When the matter reached the Delhi High Court, Justice Gadela termed it an ‘unfortunate’ incident but did not consider it completely negligent on the part of the railways. However, the court also admitted that if the Railway Act was followed, such a situation could have been avoided. Chief Justice Upadhyay also made a serious comment on this and said that if the railway laws were followed properly, this stampede could have been avoided. He stressed that the railways will have to take strict steps to prevent such accidents in future.

Railways’ clarification what will happen next?

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appeared in the court to present the railways’ side. He assured that the railways are taking this matter seriously and the Railway Board will consider it at a high level. He said that the Railways is not adopting any confrontational stance in the court on this issue, but is ready to find a solution. The High Court has directed the Railways to file a brief affidavit by March 26, giving information about the decisions taken by the Railway Board on this matter. The court has clearly said that not only answers are needed in this matter, but concrete steps should be taken to improve the system.

How long will the lives of common people be played with?

This incident once again highlights the weak systems of the Indian Railways. Selling unreserved tickets at the railway station without thinking and not taking adequate measures for crowd control directly endangers the safety of passengers. In such a situation, the question arises will the Railways take any concrete steps to prevent such incidents in future? Every year, the crowd at railway stations across the country is increasing. The situation becomes even worse on festivals, holidays and special occasions. But will the Railways adopt any new policy to control this increasing crowd? Will more stringent rules be implemented for the safety of passengers?

What could be the solution?

If we look at this matter, then by taking some steps, accidents caused by crowds at railway stations can be prevented to a great extent.

• Sale of a limited number of unreserved tickets – It is important to control the number of unreserved tickets so that there is no overcrowding inside the station.
• Better security and monitoring – Additional security forces should be deployed to handle the crowd inside and outside the station.
• Improvement in passenger facilities – Better facilities for passengers on the platform, more entry and exit gates, and proper measures for passenger control should be taken.
• Use of technical assistance – Digital counting systems should be installed at railway stations, which ensures how many people are present at the station at a time.

Hope for justice

This move of the Delhi High Court is welcome, as it will force the railways to come out of its old ways and do something concrete. Passenger safety is not a minor issue. Until the railways follow the rules and give priority to the safety of passengers, such incidents will continue to happen.

Now it remains to be seen what answer the railway give in the court on March 26. Will the railway correct its mistakes, or will this case also be shelved like other cases?

Disclaimer: This article is written for information purposes only. The information given in it is based on various news sources and court hearings. Before reaching any decision, please confirm from official sources.

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