The Supreme Court has asked the Indian Railways to explain why accident insurance coverage is available only to passengers who book tickets online and not to those purchasing tickets offline at counters.
A bench of Justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and K Vinod Chandran raised the question after the amicus curiae flagged the disparity during a hearing on November 25. Additional Solicitor General Vikramjit Banerjee appeared for the Railways.
The bench noted in its order that the current system extends accident insurance solely to online ticket buyers, leaving offline passengers without the same protection. The court directed the ASG to take instructions from the Railways on “the reason for this distinction between the two modes of procurement of tickets.”
The matter arose in a broader case concerning the functioning and safety standards of the Indian Railways. The judges reviewed a report submitted by the Railways and said that, at this stage, priority should be on improving track and level-crossing safety, adding that other reforms would naturally follow.
The bench also asked the Railways to continue implementing its overall system-wide improvement plan.
The issue of differential insurance coverage is now expected to be addressed by the Railways when the matter returns to court on January 13.
