Nagpur: The Nagpur Bench of Bombay High Court on Wednesday orally flayed the Railway Ministry over its unsatisfactory reply on stopping concessions for senior citizens and others after Covid-19 pandemic struck the entire country.
The HC was hearing a PIL filed by lawyer Sundeep Badana, who moved HC the second time after Indian Railways failed to restart the concession granted to senior citizens and 52 other categories, which were withdrawn after the Covid-19 pandemic.
A division bench comprising Justice Nitin Sambre and Justice Abhay Mantri then adjourned the hearing till February 28. Badana has contended that the Passenger Marketing Railway Board (PMRB) has conferred concession in railway fare on certain categories of passengers. The facility was, however, withdrawn from March 19, 2020, except for four categories of Divyangjan and eleven categories of patients.
During the recent hearing, Ashutosh Srivastava, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager (Sr DCM) of Central Railway, informed the High Court that the Railway Secretary and Chairman, along with the Chief Executive Officer of the Railway Board, hold the authority to reinstate concessions in 30 different categories. However, the information provided in the affidavit filed by Sr DCM Srivastava was deemed unclear by the HC.
The court verbally inquired about the official who authored the affidavit and their educational background and expressed concern that the court might be misled or presented with misleading information. In response to these concerns, the Court has summoned Sr DCMSrivastava to appear in person or through video conferencing on Thursday.
With the easing of COVID-19 concerns and the passage of a considerable time after the lockdown, a petition was filed in the HC requesting the restoration of these services by Adv Sandeep Badana.
The judges orally asked the railways officer, who submitted the reply, to remain present on the next date and submit detailed information.
