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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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
