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The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought a response from the Railways regarding a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) over the recent stampede at New Delhi Railway Station during peak hours, which resulted in the loss of 18 lives.
The PIL alleges that the stampede on Platform No. 16 was caused by overcrowding due to multiple long-distance trains arriving and departing simultaneously on the Delhi-Prayagraj route during the Mahakumbh. It claims that the tragedy was a result of administrative negligence and violated the fundamental right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution. The bench of Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyay and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela directed that the Railway Board should undertake this examination and subsequently file a short affidavit detailing the steps to be taken. Next Date of Hearing: March 26. Court noted that this public interest petition raises concerns about the ineffective implementation of provisions in the Railways Act, primarily Sections 57 and 147. Section 57 specifies that every railway station must limit the number of passengers who can travel in a compartment. These are penal provisions. The petition emphasizes the critical need for enforcing these sections. The Solicitor General, representing the Railways, stated that the Administration is not treating this as adversarial litigation, and the concerns raised will be examined by the Railways Board at the highest level. The plea moved by Arth Vidhi a group of Lawyer and entrepreneurs through Advocates Aditya Trivedi and Shubhi Pastor argued that the Railways violated their own legislative duties as outlined in Sections 57 and 147 of the Railways Act, 1989. Section 57 mandates that every railway administration must fix the maximum number of passengers allowed in each compartment of every type of carriage. Section 147 requires platform tickets for entry into railway stations when a person does not have a valid reservation. The petition emphasized that due to the ongoing Mahakumbh in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, these rules should have been strictly enforced. It also highlighted that even under normal circumstances, these rules are not enforced, leading to crowded trains and platforms. (ANI)
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