Delhi HC asks Railways to check tout menace

Delhi HC asks Railways to check tout menace

New Delhi: In a direction that would benefit railway passengers, the Delhi high court on Tuesday directed the railway ministry to devise a mechanism for preventing the practice of the touts of blocking the large number of berths in bogus names and then making them available to wait-listed passengers willing to pay premium.

“We direct the railways to devise ways and means for preventing the practice, if any, in vogue of the touts for their own gain blocking the seats/berths by making reservation therefore in bogus names and then making such seats/berths available to bonafide passengers willing to pay premium,by allowing them to board the train on the basis of wait-listed tickets in physical form and occupy the seats/berths of the bogus reservation” said a division bench comprising Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice R S Endlaw while giving the ministry six months to devise a plan.

The HC’s order came while hearing the petition of a man, who alleged discrimination by the railways between the wait-listed passengers who have purchased e-tickets through the internet and the wait-listed passengers who have purchased tickets physically from the reservation counters.

In his plea, the petitioner contended that while the wait-listed passengers holding e-tickets were prohibited from boarding the train and their tickets immediately stood cancelled in case it wasn’t confirmed in the final chart, the wait-listed passengers holding tickets in the physical form were entitled to board the train and take a chance of occupying any berths available owing to “no-show of the passengers in whose name the confirmed booking exists.

While court held that “no case of discrimination was made out” as the mere fact that the passenger holding a ticket in the physical form is entitled to take such a chance even though not entitled under the Rules & Regulations”, the bench said that such a passenger was taking a risk of being de-boarded at a distant station unless of course the train has an unreserved compartment and the passenger opts to travel in the same.

It however, suggested a solution to this problem by asking the ministry to provide an option to an e-ticket purchaser as to whether he wants his ticket to be cancelled or not in the event of its non-confirmation.

“One suggestion which comes to our mind is, to give an option to passengers purchasing e-ticket, to not have their tickets cancelled automatically at the time of preparation of the final chart before departure of the train and to if so desire take a chance by going to the Railway Station and availing of the seats / berths of the passengers holding reservation and who fail to show up,” it said.

The HC asked the Railway ministry to resolve alleged anomaly which allowed waitlisted ticket holders, who purchase them from counters, to board a train while denies the same to waitlisted e-ticket holders.

Source: RailNews