SC Objects to ‘Second-Class Passenger’ Term

• Supreme Court objects to use of “second-class passenger” in railway documents.
• Court says term is offensive to the spirit of the Constitution.
• Victim’s family awarded ₹8 lakh compensation.
• Ticket not being recovered does not negate bona fide passenger status, says court.

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 18th July: The Supreme Court has criticised the use of the term “second-class passenger” in railway documents, saying such terminology is offensive to the spirit of the Constitution and should instead refer to the class of the coach rather than the passenger.

A Bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and N. Kotiswar Singh made the observation while hearing an appeal filed by the wife of a man who died after falling from a moving train in 2015. The court also awarded her ₹8 lakh as compensation after overturning the decisions of the Railways Claims Tribunal and the Madhya Pradesh High Court.

The Bench observed that the expression “second-class passenger” reflects historical class divisions and suggested that railway authorities replace it with terminology linked to the category of the coach instead of the individual traveller.

The case involved Chandrakant Thakkar, whose compensation claim had been rejected after no train ticket was recovered from his body. His wife argued that the ticket had been kept in a bag that went missing after the accident.

Allowing the appeal, the Supreme Court held that the absence of a recovered ticket does not alter the deceased’s status as a bona fide passenger, noting that there was no dispute that he had been travelling on the train when the accident occurred.

The court also observed that passengers share responsibility for their own safety and urged travellers to avoid risky practices such as attempting to board or alight from moving trains despite practical pressures.

Setting aside the earlier rulings, the apex court directed that ₹8 lakh be paid as compensation to the victim’s wife.