July 17, 2026

Railways Held Accountable For Delay

By Sunil Garodia
First publised on 2021-09-09 02:15:59

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Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator. Author of Cyber Scams in India, Digital Arrest, The Money Trap and The Human Hack

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In an order that is likely to have far-reaching consequences for the railways and gladden the heart of travelers, the Supreme Court today ordered Indian Railways to pay Rs 30000 as compensation to a passenger who missed a connecting flight as the train he took was late by over four hours. The apex court confirmed the order passed by District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, Alwar and confirmed by the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, New Delhi. The Northern Western Railway will now have to pay Rs 15,000 for taxi expenses, Rs 10,000 towards booking expenses and Rs 5,000 for mental agony and litigation expenses to the aggrieved passenger. To the monopoly operator of trains in India, this might be a wake-up call and for the harassed traveler, a deliverance from being cooped up in train compartments without redress. Although the railways argued that delay could not be held as deficiency in service, the court was of the opinion that the time of each passenger is precious and the utility delays can neither be condoned nor can the railways deny responsibility. Saying that someone should be held accountable for interminable delays in the running of trains, the court said that passengers cannot be left at the mercy of authorities. The court further said that the railways were required to "lead the evidence and explain the late arrival of the train to establish and prove that the delay occurred because of the reasons beyond their control. At least the railways were required to explain the delay which the railways failed".

But given the ways of the railways in India, one thinks that one Supreme Court is unlikely to change things. Delays in running of trains in India are the rule. Except perhaps for suburban trains and the Metro services in cities, trains never run on time. Some of these delays are due to valid reasons like an accident or equipment malfunction, but most of the delays are due to the inefficiency. This order will at least prod the railways to map each train and pinpoint the cause of delay for evidence in such cases. If that data is studied well, it might lead to improvement in efficiency. But the big question is: is the railways concerned enough to make that effort?