Hyderabad: Railway Tribunal resolves 400 cases, mostly virtually

Lallaguda: Railway Claims Tribunal, Secunderabad bench, has resolved around 400 cases during pandemic, mostly through virtual hearing as per the 124 A of Railway Act 1989. These cases are related to untoward incidents that includes property loss, railway accident or slipping of passengers from the Coach.

"About 90 percent of cases are based on people falling or slipping from the train, some of which were pending since 2013. The lockdown restrictions brought difficulty for applicants and also counsel as well.So, we have introduced virtual hearing through Cisco Webex, a video conference app, to help the families who waited for relief due to loss of their bread earners. The cases were solved in the presence of Member (Technical), counsel for applicant and a counsel for respondent. Also in virtual hearing I found that it was more focused then the physical hearing," said N Madhusudan Rao, Member (Technical), Railway Claims Tribunal, Secunderabad Bench.

For those who found virtual hearing difficult, arrangements were madeat the RCT office inLallaguda. This initiative has provided speedy relief to the dependents of the victims of untoward incidents. Through virtual hearing, RCT solved 400 cases since August 2021, for Secunderabad and Amaravati benches. Also, through SCR Lok Adalat Railway Claims Tribunal (RCT /SC and RCT/ AMVT)conducted during January and February, the tribunal was able to clear long pending cases. Through physical and visual hearing, a total of 210 cases have been resolved in Lok Adalat.

The High Court recently gave its permission for physical hearing and for safety of people. "More than Rs 30 crwas disbursed towards compensation among families of the victims. About 100 cases are still pending in Secunderabad bench, which the tribunals are trying to solve as soon as possible. Also, RCT is trying to approach the railway authorities, so that they can study new cases," added Rao.

The Railway Claims Tribunal was setup in the year 1989 to rescue the back log and works on determining claims against Railway Administration for loss, destruction, damage deterioration and non-delivery of goods and for death or injuries or loss to a passenger in a railway accident. Users can access cause list, case status, judgments and daily orders of the Tribunal and across India, RCT has 22 benches.