Supreme Court urges Railways to tackle train overcrowding, suggests dropping the term ‘second class passenger’

The Supreme Court has urged the Indian Railways to take effective steps to prevent overcrowding in trains, noting that such incidents frequently result in fatal accidents.

It also suggested replacing the term ‘second class passenger’ in Railway manuals, observing that the classification should be linked to the coach instead of the traveller.

The observations were made by a Bench of Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice Nongmeikapam Kotiswar Singh while hearing an appeal filed by the widow of a man who died after falling from a moving train in 2015.

The bench granted the widow ₹8 lakh in compensation, holding that the absence of the deceased’s ticket could not invalidate a legitimate claim under the Railways Act.

Overcrowding continues to claim lives

The apex court observed that deaths caused by passengers falling from overcrowded trains are “not a rare occurrence”, Live Law reported. While such cases may appear insignificant compared to the Railways’ overall operations, they have devastating consequences for the families of those who lose their lives.

The bench referred to several recent incidents linked to overcrowding, including the June 2025 Mumbai suburban train accident in which four commuters died after falling from overcrowded local trains, the stampede at New Delhi railway station during the Maha Kumbh rush and other similar accidents across the country. It said these incidents highlight the persistent safety risks caused by overcrowding.

Suggests hiring more young people

The court observed that better implementation of safety measures would require additional manpower and suggested that the Railways consider recruiting more young people.

Stressing the Railways’ responsibility to ensure passenger safety, the court said commuters must also act responsibly. Referring to the risks undertaken by passengers when boarding or travelling on overloaded trains, it said, “Sometimes practical considerations must give way to the preservation of life.”

The Supreme Court also questioned the use of the expression ‘second class passenger’ in Railway manuals.

“While it is ostensibly linked to the expenditure incurred by the passenger to travel, we may suggest that the class connotation be attached to the coach and not to the passenger, in recognition of the history of class divisions in our country and the same being offensive to the spirit of the Constitution of India,” it said.

Railways directed to pay compensation

In the case before it, the court found that both the Railway Claims Tribunal and the Madhya Pradesh High Court had wrongly denied compensation because the deceased’s ticket was not recovered after the accident.

Setting aside the earlier orders of the Tribunal and the High Court, the Supreme Court directed the Railways to pay ₹8 lakh in compensation to the deceased’s widow within four weeks.

(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)