In a major relief to the family of a man who died after allegedly falling from a moving train, the Jharkhand High Court has directed the Eastern Railway to pay a compensation of Rs 8 lakh along with 7 per cent annual interest, reaffirming the principle of no-fault liability under the Railways Act.
Justice Sanjay Kumar Dwivedi allowed an appeal filed by the deceased's wife and daughters, setting aside the Railway Claims Tribunal's April 26, 2023 order that had rejected their compensation claim.
The case pertains to the death of Ashok Mahto, who was travelling from Jamui to Madhupur on August 1, 2017. According to court records, he had purchased a valid second-class ticket and boarded the Danapur-Tatanagar Express.
When he failed to return home, his family launched a search and later learnt that he had reportedly fallen from the moving train near Nawapatri Cabin. His body was recovered the following day.
The police investigation, inquest proceedings and the final report in the Unnatural Death (U.D.) case all concluded that Mehto had died due to an accidental fall from the train. Investigators also recovered his valid railway ticket from his belongings.
The high court observed that the Tribunal had wrongly denied compensation by holding that the deceased was not a bona fide passenger, despite documentary evidence establishing otherwise.
Justice Dwivedi noted that both the police inquiry and the inquest report confirmed that Mehto was travelling with a valid ticket at the time of the incident.
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The court also dismissed the Railway's argument that the absence of eyewitnesses to the purchase of the ticket weakened the family's claim. It observed that railway tickets are ordinarily purchased without witnesses and, in this case, the authenticity of the ticket had been established by the railway authorities themselves.
Reiterating the legal position under Section 124-A of the Railways Act, the high court emphasised that compensation for untoward railway incidents is governed by the principle of strict liability, meaning negligence need not be proved.
Referring to Supreme Court rulings, Justice Dwivedi observed that the compensation provisions are intended as beneficial legislation and should be interpreted liberally.
The court ruled that once it is established that a person was travelling as a bona fide passenger and died after falling from a running train, the railway cannot escape liability unless the case falls within specific statutory exceptions such as suicide, self-inflicted injury, criminal acts, intoxication or natural causes. Finding no such exception applicable, the court allowed the appeal.
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