Prevent accidental falls from trains: HC to Railways
LUCKNOW: The Lucknow bench of the High Court has directed the Railways to take such preventive measures as may be helpful in checking accidents during journey. The court directed the Railways to do something to close the doors whenever the train leaves the platform and to open them on the next stoppage by adopting manual or mechanical recourse.
A division bench of Justice Devi Prasad Singh and Justice Satish Chandra expressed displeasure that passengers often fall from trains because of open doors and due to overcrowding in the compartments. The passengers, due to over rush or mismanagement of the Railways, are compelled to stand near the gate and on account of jerks in the train, they fall down from the door, noticed the bench and expected that such situation should be checked.
It is the duty of the Railways to ensure safety and security of the human life otherwise any loss to life will increase burden on it to pay compensation.
The order came from the bench while dismissing a first appeal filed by Railways against an order of the Railway Tribunal, whereby it had awarded compensation to the dependent of Bhola. He boarded Vaishali Express at Gorakhpour Railway station for New Delhi on September 10, 1999. As the train reached between Ferozabad and Madaankorar Railway stations, Bhola fell from the train and died on account of injuries sustained by him in front of his father Laxmi Singh and one Subhash Chandra.
On a petition of Laxmi Singh, the Tribunal found the Railways negligent and awarded compensation to the father. The railways pleaded in the HC that it was not an accident but Bhola fell because of his own fault. The court ruled that the Railways could not bring anything on record to indicate that the deceased had fallen down from the train for his own fault.
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