Mumbai, The Bombay High Court has suggested that railway authorities introduce public safety announcements on all long-distance trains, specifying the stations where they will halt, similar to the practice followed in Vande Bharat trains.
A single bench of Justice Jitendra Jain, in the judgment passed on Tuesday, also extended a word of caution to passengers to not risk their lives trying to alight or board moving trains.
The court ordered compensation of ₹80,000 to a man who suffered injuries while trying to alight a moving train at the Jalgaon railway station almost a decade ago.
It noted that in local trains, there is a display board or announcement stating the train will not halt at some railway stations.
“However, in long-distance trains, such a display board or announcement is not found on the platforms. Long-distance trains are also used by passengers to travel short distances from one railway station to another,” HC said.
When no announcements are made stating at which stations the train will not halt, no fault can be attributed to a passenger who boards or alights a train at a station where the train does not halt, it said.
Passengers should avoid alighting or boarding a moving train. It is advisable to wait till the train halts at the next station and pay the necessary fine, the bench said.
“I am conscious that at that point of time, a human being may take steps to risk their life, but it is at that point of time that the mental balance is tested. This is required in the larger interest of the passengers’ family members,” Justice Jain said.
“The railway authorities should introduce a public announcement system, like that in Vande Bharat trains, in all trains to reduce such incidents,” the court said.
It was hearing an appeal filed by Rohidas Kumavat, challenging a January 2018 order of the Railway Claims Tribunal rejecting his claim for compensation on the ground that his injury was not due to an untoward incident but was a case of self-inflicted injury.
As per the plea, Kumavat was travelling in the Guwahati Express train from Manmad to Jalgaon. When the train was about to reach Jalgaon station, Kumavat’s hands slipped due to rush and he fell from the train, resulting in injuries to his head and legs.
The tribunal, while rejecting Kumavat’s claim for compensation, held that he fell as he was sitting near the door of the coach. He fell while trying to alight when the train was approaching Jalgaon station, realising it would not halt there, the tribunal added.
The high court, in its order, noted that Kumavat was a bona fide passenger and had boarded the train under the impression that all trains would halt at Jalgaon, as it is an important place in Maharashtra.
“However, on realising that the train has not halted at Jalgaon, if a person attempts to de-board a moving train, it is but natural that some injury would be caused,” the court said.
The applicant could have waited for the next station to alight from the train, but at that point in time, a person loses his mental balance and, in panic, tries to alight without there being any intention of self-inflicted injury, it noted.
“No person in such a situation would do any act to impose self-inflicted injury and, in some cases, it is also possible that he may go unscathed,” the court remarked.
The bench awarded a compensation of ₹80,000 to Kumavat to be paid to him by the railway authorities within 12 weeks.
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