GUWAHATI: The Supreme Court on Friday, February 28 dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) concerning the stampede at New Delhi Railway Station on February 15, which resulted in several fatalities. The petition, filed by a trust alleged that not all deaths had been accounted for and that many affected families were yet to receive compensation.
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A bench comprising Justice BR Gavai and Justice PK Mishra refused to entertain the matter, directing the petitioner to approach the High Court instead. The petitioner argued that incidents of stampede were becoming frequent and claimed that the Railways had issued notices to remove videos of the incident from online platforms. It was further alleged that 200 people had died in the tragedy.
The bench stated that affected individuals could seek legal recourse if they had not received the ex-gratia payment. Justice Mishra questioned the claims regarding the death toll, asking whether there were specific cases where families had been denied compensation. The petitioner responded that videos and eyewitness accounts suggested a higher number of casualties than officially recorded. However, the court remained disinclined to pursue the matter further.
Earlier, the Delhi High Court sought responses from the Union Government and the Railways regarding a separate plea calling for measures to prevent stampedes at railway stations.