Karnataka High Court Orders Compensation for Woman’s Death After Train Mishap, Overturns Railway Tribunal’s Decision

The Karnataka High Court has recently overturned the decision made by the Railway Claims Tribunal, granting compensation of Rs 8 lakh to the family of a woman who tragically lost her life in February 2014 while attempting to board a wrong train.

Jayamma and her sister Rathnamma mistakenly boarded the Tuticorin Express instead of the Tirupati passenger train bound for Ashokapuram/Mysore.

As the train began to move, they realised their mistake and panicked, attempting to disembark. Unfortunately, Jayamma fell on the platform and sustained fatal injuries.

Initially, the Railway Claims Tribunal rejected the family’s petition, claiming that Jayamma’s failure to use available options, such as continuing the journey to the next station or pulling the alarm chain, resulted in her death being regarded as a “self-inflicted injury” under Section 124-A of the Indian Railways Act, thereby denying compensation.

However, Justice H P Sandesh of the Karnataka High Court disagreed with the Tribunal’s interpretation, stating that Jayamma was a genuine passenger and that her death resulted from an ‘untoward incident,’ as affirmed by the Supreme Court.

The Judge criticized the Tribunal’s reliance on Section 124-A, stating that it was erroneously applied in this case.

As a result, the court recently ordered the Railways to pay Rs 4 lakh compensation with seven per cent interest, ensuring that the final amount awarded to the family totals no less than Rs 8 lakh, inclusive of interest.