Gujarat HC rejects railway department’s appeal against compensation of ₹8L to passenger’s family

The Gujarat High Court has rejected the appeal filed by the Railways in a case regarding compensation to the family of a passenger who died while getting off a train.

A passenger onboard the Porbandar-Mumbai Saurashtra Express had died while getting off at Maninagar Railway Station in Ahmedabad, after which the Railway Tribunal ordered  a compensation of ₹8 lakh with interest to the passenger's family.

The incident took place in 2018 when the deceased, Keyur, had boarded the train from Jamnagar to travel to Ahmedabad. However, as he was unable to get off at Ahmedabad, he attempted to get off at Maninagar when the train slowed down.

While trying to get off the train, a sudden jerk caused Keyur to lose his balance, fall, and sustain injuries, eventually leading to his death.

In this case, the Railway Tribunal had directed the Railways to pay ₹8 lakh to the passenger’s family along with 7% interest.

The department had appealed this order in the Gujarat High Court, arguing that the passenger was at fault as he attempted to get off a moving train and fell due to his negligence, making the department not liable to pay compensation.

However, the lawyer representing the deceased passenger’s family argued that the passenger had a valid ticket and, as he could not get off at Ahmedabad, he tried to get off at Maninagar. It was only due to the sudden jerk that he lost his balance and fell, making the department liable for compensation.

After hearing both sides, the court observed that the passenger had a valid ticket, was travelling legitimately, and no passenger would deliberately fall off a train. 

The court rejected the Railways’s appeal and upheld the Tribunal’s decision, directing the payment of ₹8 lakh with 7% interest to the deceased’s family.