Bombay Excessive Court docket raises alarm over commuter deaths on Mumbai native community, requires preventive steps

The Bombay Excessive Court docket on Friday (June 20, 2025) expressed concern over deaths of commuters on Mumbai native trains, describing the state of affairs as “alarming”, an remark coming days after 5 individuals misplaced their lives post-falling off a packed suburban service.

The Court docket recommended putting in automated door-closing mechanisms in Mumbai native trains to forestall commuters from falling off however insisted this was recommendation purely from a “layman” perspective and railway knowledgeable views had been wanted on the problem.

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A division bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Aradhe and Justice Sandeep Marne urged authorities to take measures to make sure tragic incidents do not happen on the Mumbai suburban community sooner or later.

Citing an affidavit filed by the Railways, the Court docket famous that in 2024 alone over 3,588 fatalities occurred on native trains (attributable to numerous accidents on the suburban community), which implies on a mean ten Mumbaikars die on a regular basis.

“That is an alarming state of affairs. Although you’ve projected that there was a discount (in casualties) of 49% (in comparison with earlier years),” the Court docket added.

The division bench made the observations whereas listening to a public curiosity litigation (PIL) associated to deaths of commuters in accidents on Mumbai’s suburban community, thought of the town’s lifeline.

Being attentive to the June 9 incident the place 5 passengers died and eight others sustained accidents after falling off a crowded native practice close to Mumbra station in adjoining Thane district, the Court docket noticed measures taken by authorities to cease such untoward incidents weren’t adequate.

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The Court docket recommended they (trains) must be geared up with automated doorways (at the moment they’ve open doorways). The Bench, nonetheless, was fast so as to add that it was a “layman” suggestion they usually weren’t an knowledgeable on railway security.

The Railways knowledgeable the Bench that they’ve arrange a multi-disciplinary committee to look at the reason for the Mumbra incident and are ready for its report. The panel will give suggestions and solutions for avoiding such untoward incidents sooner or later.

The Court docket directed the Railways to position on report solutions made by the committee, together with a timeline for his or her implementation. The committee must be open to together with the solutions made by the petitioner (a commuter) for avoiding the recurrence of such incidents.

Apart from the disciplinary panel, a high-level monitoring committee has been arrange individually and it’s working in direction of a “zero demise mission”. Primarily based on its solutions, quite a lot of steps has already been taken, the Railways instructed the Court docket.

One of many steps included constructing partitions and fences between Rail tracks to cease commuters from crossing over. Additionally, stalls have been shifted from some platforms on suburban stations to keep away from overcrowding, it stated.

The matter might be subsequent heard on July 14, 2025.