Overcrowding By Ticketless Passengers Amounts To The Railway’s Negligence: Madhya Pradesh High Court

The Madhya Pradesh High Court ruled that the Railways’ failure to prevent overcrowding by ticketless passengers amounts to contributory negligence, making it liable to compensate the families of genuine passengers who die in such accidents.

The Court underscored the Railways’ statutory duty to ensure passenger safety and to regulate entry so that only bona fide ticket holders board trains. The Court observed that overcrowding caused by lax supervision leads to unsafe conditions, directly contributing to accidents.

The Court passed the ruling while setting aside the Railways Claims Tribunal’s order, which had denied compensation to the family of a man who fell from an overcrowded moving train.

[Vijay Singh Gour v. Union of India]