The Karnataka High Court stated that any death or injury sustained while entering or disembarking from a train is an unfortunate tragedy and granted Rs 8 lakh in compensation to the old woman’s lawful heirs.
The ruling was made by Justice HP Sandesh after the victim Jayamma’s legal heirs submitted a plea. Jayamma passed away on February 22, 2014, at the Channapatna train station in the Ramanagara district.
The Indian Railways Act’s Section 123 defines an unpleasant incident, and the court ruled that the Railways must provide compensation in accordance with Section 124A of the Act.
When the incident happened, Jayamma had just realized she had boarded the wrong train and was getting out. Jayamma and her sister Rathnamma had bought tickets on the Tirupati passenger train to travel to Mysuru. However, they unintentionally board the Tuticorin Express.
Rathnamma was able to exit the train without incident, but Jayamma collapsed on the platform and died instantly.
After the Railway Claims Tribunal denied their claim in 2016, stating that Jayamma’s self-inflicted injuries were the cause of her death under Section 124A of the Indian Railways Act, even though it had acknowledged that she was a legitimate passenger, Jayamma’s legal heirs filed a petition before the high court.
The Tribunal further determined that Jayamma intentionally leaped from a moving train, rather than using the safest course of action, which would have been to disembark at the next station or pull the emergency stop chain.
The family’s attorney contended that the sisters got off the train when they realized they were on the incorrect train. The dead lost her balance as the train may have just started, which led to her unintentional fall and eventual death.
The top court pointed up that the Tribunal had incorrectly determined that the person intentionally hurt themselves by jumping from the speeding train.
This came after noticing that the deceased’s sister had safely disembarked from the train.
