India
Supreme Court restores Rs 8 lakh train compensation
The Hindu··7h ago
The Supreme Court restored Rs 8 lakh compensation for the parents of Maheshbhai, who died after falling from a Gujarat train in 2017. Justices Ujjal Bhuyan and A.S. Chandurkar set aside a Gujarat High Court order rejecting the award. The Bench said non-recovery of a railway ticket cannot defeat a bona fide passenger claim. Payment was directed within thirty days.
Prism
What It Means For You
- Families can pursue railway accident claims even when a ticket is not recovered from the deceased.
- The Court restored the Railways Claim Tribunal award of Rs 8 lakh with interest.
- The restored payout is to be paid to the parents within thirty days.
What's Happening
- Maheshbhai fell from a general compartment while travelling to Surat via Ahmedabad on September 27, 2017.
- He died on October 31, 2017 after more than a month in hospital.
- The tribunal had held the fall an untoward incident and awarded compensation on June 17, 2022.
What the Bench relied on
- The father deposed on oath that his son had purchased a ticket.
- Claimants said the ticket, handkerchief, wristwatch, comb and cash of Rs 800-900 were lost.
- The Court said the High Court gave undue weight to the missing ticket alone.
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