Kerala woman passenger eviction: SHRC orders railways to pay ₹2,000 compensation

The Kerala State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has ordered the railways to pay a compensation of ₹2,000 to a woman who was kicked out of a train in the middle of the night despite having a reservation ticket, arrested in the name of ticketless travel and released on bail.

The commission, comprising chairman Alexander Thomas, gave the railways one month’s time to pay compensation to K. Jay Smith of Nelluvay, Thrissur district, who was employed in Thiruvananthapuram.

Railway authorities could recover compensation from the erring officials after a comprehensive high-level probe, the commission said.

The petitioner had booked a ticket in Train No. 16348 from Wadakkanchera to Thiruvananthapuram on 30 July 2023. However, she found her berth occupied. When she approached the TTE, she was told that her ticket had been cancelled.

The TTE informed the petitioner that she would be allotted another bed if she paid a fine of ₹500. However, she did not have ₹500 in cash.

She pointed out that she had booked the ticket manually from Thiruvananthapuram station and it could not be canceled online. When she asked for the details of the person who canceled the ticket, the TTE did not provide them. He warned her that if she did not pay the penalty, she would have to bear the consequences. Her requests for permission to continue the journey were refused by the TTE, the appellant said, saying that the TTE misbehaved with her. When the train reached Aluva, she was removed by RPF personnel who recorded her arrest and released her on bail.

On her complaint, the railways realized that there was an error as her mobile number was entered incorrectly at the reservation centre. The message related to the ticket reservation went to another number and the person to whom the number belonged canceled the ticket online. The Railways then advised the RPF not to proceed with the case. Subsequently, the case was adjourned.

The chairman of the commission pointed out that the eviction of a woman traveling alone on a train at midnight was a violation of Section 139 of the Railways Act.

The petitioner pointed out that she lost her position in the state administration, where she was appointed on the basis of a contract, as a result of the criminal proceedings registered against her by the RPF.

The Commission directed the petitioner to approach the Government in this regard. The director of the minority care department should make a decision on the applicant’s request within a month, the commission said.

If the compensation was not paid within six weeks, the respondents should also pay 8% interest on the amount of ₹2,000.

It also directed the railways to issue a circular to the TTE and other officials, including RPF personnel, to comply with the provisions of Sections 137 and 139 of the Railways Act, particularly on strict enforcement of passengers’ rights for protection during night travel, the commission said.

Published – 02 Sep 2026 21:11 IST