The Kerala State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has ordered Southern Railway to pay ₹2 lakh in compensation to a woman who was unlawfully deboarded and arrested after her confirmed train ticket was cancelled by a stranger. The incident, stemming from a booking error, highlights significant lapses in railway operations and passenger handling.
Midnight Arrest Due to Booking Glitch
K. Jayasmitha, a resident of Thiruvananthapuram, boarded train 16348 from Wadakkanchery to Thiruvananthapuram on July 30, 2023, with a valid confirmed reservation for berth 41 in coach S4. However, upon reaching her allotted seat, she found another passenger occupying it. The ticket examiner informed her that her reservation had been cancelled online and demanded a fresh fine of ₹500 for a new berth.
Unable to pay the fine and travelling alone, Jayasmitha was subsequently deboarded at Aluva station at midnight and handed over to the Railway Protection Force (RPF). She was then arrested on charges of travelling without a valid ticket and later released on bail.
The Root Cause: A Single-Digit Error
A subsequent railway review and departmental inquiry revealed the cause of the egregious error. A single digit in Jayasmitha's mobile number had been incorrectly entered into the railway's booking system. Consequently, all booking-related SMS alerts were sent to an incorrect number. The recipient of these alerts, unaware that the reservation belonged to Jayasmitha, proceeded to cancel the ticket online.
SHRC Orders Compensation and Action
Justice Alexander Thomas, chairperson of the SHRC, ruled that deboarding Jayasmitha at midnight was unlawful and violated Section 139 of the Railways Act. Holding Southern Railway responsible for both the booking mistake and the mishandling of the situation, the commission directed the railway to pay ₹2 lakh in compensation within one month. Failure to comply within six weeks would incur an 8% annual interest rate.
The SHRC also authorized the divisional railway manager to initiate departmental action against the responsible officials and recover the compensation amount from them, as permissible by law. Jayasmitha further claimed that the criminal case led to the loss of a government contract job, a grievance the SHRC directed her to pursue with the state government.