The Supreme Court has ordered offline railway ticket insurance from October 27

High Court. File | Photo credit: The Hindu

The Supreme Court issued a binding directive that tickets sold over counters at all railway stations across the country must include travel insurance identical to online bookings. A Bench of Justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and R. Mahadevan directed the railway authorities to make the regulations effective from October 27, 2026.

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The order specifically warned that non-implementation of this mechanism would be a direct responsibility on the Railway Board.

“Currently, the benefit of the insurance cover is provided only to people buying tickets online after paying a nominal additional amount. The court has given the authorities enough time to devise a mechanism to extend this cover to people belonging to the lowest strata of society who in most cases purchase tickets from railway reservation counters while traveling by train,” the court observed, pointing out that the railways has not made progress in providing insurance cover to all passengers.

The direction was based on a writ petition filed after a train accident in Odisha in June 2023. The petition initially focused on an independent investigation into the accident and implementation of safety systems like Kavach. However, the court widened the scope of the case to include various aspects of passengers and rail infrastructure, including the lack of insurance for economically disadvantaged passengers who buy tickets at station counters.

In its order dated October 6, the court recorded its “utter disappointment and displeasure at the conduct of officials of the Ministry of Railways in such a serious matter concerning the safety of the common man”.

“Railways represent before this court that all necessary steps are being taken in this regard. However, it appears that such assurances have remained largely on paper and there has been no material change in practice,” the court observed.

In a scathing order, the court said that even the budget provisions for target areas related to safety of common man and prevention of untoward incidents have not been fully utilised.

Initially, the court ordered the chairman and members of the railway board to appear physically on November 16, the day of the next hearing, but later postponed the summons.

Published – 14 Oct 2026 22:05 IST