Why accident insurance cover only for those purchasing tickets online, SC asks railways
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court has asked the Indian Railways to apprise it why an accident insurance cover is provided only to passengers purchasing tickets online and not to those booking tickets offline.
A bench of Justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and K Vinod Chandran was told that the insurance cover is provided only to passengers purchasing tickets online to cover accidents.
Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Vikramjit Banerjee appeared in the court for the railways in the matter.
"In addition, the amicus has pointed out that an insurance cover is provided to passengers purchasing tickets online to cover accidents, which is not available to those who purchase tickets offline. Mr Banerjee is required to take instructions as to the reason for this distinction between the two modes of procurement of tickets," the bench said in its order passed on November 25.
The top court was hearing a matter concerning the Indian Railways.
The bench perused a report submitted by the national transporter and said at the initial stage, the focus should be on the safety of tracks and railway crossings, from which other aspects would emerge.
It said the railways should continue carrying out its overall plan for the improvement of the system in its entirety.
The court, which posted the matter for hearing on January 13, asked the railways to respond with regard to the insurance issue.
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Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
