Absence of Train Ticket Doesn’t Bar Compensation for Railway Death: Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court has ruled that the absence of a train ticket on a deceased passenger does not automatically disqualify their family from receiving compensation.

Justice Dharmesh Sharma emphasized that if credible evidence exists showing the deceased had purchased a ticket and was a bona fide passenger, compensation claims should not be denied solely due to the missing ticket.

He noted that tickets can be lost or destroyed during accidents and that insisting on their production defeats the purpose of welfare legislation.

He affirmed that the deceased was a bona fide passenger under Section 2(29) of the Railway Claims Tribunal Act, 1987, and that the incident qualified as an "untoward incident" under Section 124A of the Railways Act, 1989.