Overview
- The Supreme Court on Friday, July 17, 2026, set aside the Railway Claims Tribunal and Madhya Pradesh High Court orders and awarded Rs 8 lakh to Lata, the widow of Chandrakant Thakkar, with a four-week deadline for payment or 8% annual interest from the date the claim was filed.
- The bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and N. Kotiswar Singh held that Section 124A of the Railways Act is a no-fault, welfare provision and must be given a liberal, purposive reading to secure speedy relief for victims.
- The court ruled that the mere absence of a physical ticket on a deceased passenger does not negate bona fide passenger status and that an initial claimant burden can be met with a credible affidavit and circumstantial evidence, after which the Railways must rebut the claim.
- In its judgment the court flagged chronic overcrowding and weak implementation of ticket checks, urged increased ground manpower to curb people travelling on footboards, and said passengers also bear responsibility for their own safety.
- The bench recommended scrapping the phrase 'second-class passenger' from manuals and attaching class labels to coaches, a change the court described as more consistent with dignity and constitutional equality and likely to prompt administrative reviews.