Karnataka HC awards compensation to family of woman who died while boarding wrong train
Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has overturned a decision by the Railway Claims Tribunal and granted Rs 8 lakh compensation to the family of a woman who tragically lost her life while attempting to board a wrong train in February 2014.
Jayamma and her sister Rathnamma inadvertently boarded the Tuticorin Express instead of the Tirupati passenger train bound for Ashokapuram/Mysore. Realising their mistake as the train started moving, they panicked and attempted to disembark. Sadly, Jayamma fell on the platform and sustained fatal injuries.
Initially, the Railway Claims Tribunal rejected the family's petition, citing Jayamma's failure to utilise available options, such as continuing the journey to the next station or pulling the alarm chain.
The Tribunal deemed Jayamma's death as a "self-inflicted injury" under Section 124-A of the Indian Railways Act, thereby denying compensation.
Justice H P Sandesh of the Karnataka High Court disagreed with the Tribunal's interpretation. He emphasised that Jayamma was a genuine passenger and her death resulted from an 'untoward incident,' as affirmed by the Supreme Court.
The Judge criticised the Tribunal's reliance on Section 124-A, stating that it was erroneously applied in this case.
Consequently, the court recently ordered the Railways to pay Rs 4 lakh compensation with 7% interest, ensuring that the final amount awarded to the family totals no less than Rs 8 lakh, inclusive of interest.
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One person taken into custody after woman found dead in Himachal forest
Nahan (HP) (PTI): A suspect has been taken into custody after a woman's partially burnt body was found in a forest near a police battalion camp in Himachal Pradesh's Sirmour district, police said.
The body of the woman, who is stated to be in her late 30s, was spotted in the dense forest of the Karaunde Wali Ghati area near Dhaula Kuan by locals on Wednesday morning. The identity of the deceased has not yet been established.
The accused in the case was taken into custody at Bata Bridge in Paonta Sahib on Wednesday evening following scanning of the CCTV footage of the area coupled with inputs from Haryana Police, police said.
According to police, the accused is a resident of Barara town in Ambala district of Haryana. A case of kidnapping has already been registered against him in Ambala.
Sirmour District Superintendent of Police Nischint Singh Negi said one person has been taken into custody following contact with Haryana Police.
Postmortem examination of the woman is scheduled to be conducted on Thursday at the Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar Government Medical College at Nahan.
Police are currently investigating whether the woman was murdered in Barara itself, and if her body was subsequently dumped in the Paonta forest and set on fire.
