On Friday, the Supreme Court rejected a petition concerning the 15 February stampede at New Delhi Railway Station, which claimed 18 lives.
The plea, filed by Anand Legal Aid Forum Trust, alleged that the railway authorities were concealing the actual number of fatalities, which eyewitnesses claimed was around 200.
The petitioners also argued that several families had not received the promised compensation and called for a CBI investigation into the incident.
A bench comprising Justices BR Gavai and Prashant Kumar Mishra questioned the petitioners on whether the state government had completely disregarded the issue and what evidence supported the claim of 200 deaths.
The court also asked if there were cases where victims’ families had personally come forward stating they had not received compensation.
After briefly hearing the arguments, the bench dismissed the plea, stating, “Let the persons who are affected approach the court.”
The stampede occurred at 10 PM when a massive crowd of devotees traveling to Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh 2025 festival led to severe overcrowding at the station.
Following the tragedy, Indian Railways announced compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the deceased’s families, Rs 2.5 lakh for those seriously injured, and Rs 1 lakh for minor injuries.
The authorities appointed a high-level committee to investigate the incident.
In response to rising concerns over crowd management, the Ministry of Railways has initiated plans to set up permanent holding areas at 60 major railway stations across India.
The move aims to improve passenger flow and prevent congestion-related mishaps in the future.
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