The Calcutta High Court ordered railway authorities to impose maximum penalties on travelling ticket examiners who illegally sell empty train berths [1].
This directive aims to dismantle a systemic culture of bribery and corruption within the Indian Railways network. By targeting the unauthorized sale of unoccupied seats, the court seeks to prevent fraud and ensure passenger safety across the national rail system [1, 2].
The court said that some travelling ticket examiners, known as TTEs, treat empty berths like vegetables in a market [1, 2]. This practice involves TTEs accepting bribes from passengers to allocate vacant seats that should be managed through official railway channels [1].
During the proceedings, the court highlighted a specific case from 2009 [2]. In that incident, passengers were drugged and robbed after paying a bribe to a TTE to secure seating [2]. The court used this example to illustrate the severe security risks created when official protocols are bypassed for personal profit [2].
Beyond the conduct of railway staff, the court criticized police for their handling of the 2009 case [2]. The judges said significant investigative loopholes allowed the perpetrators to avoid full accountability, a failure the court sought to address by demanding stricter enforcement and oversight [2].
Railway officials are now required to implement rigorous monitoring to stop TTEs from selling berths privately [1]. The court said that only the maximum available penalties should be applied to offenders to serve as a deterrent against future misconduct [1, 2].
“TTEs sell empty berths like vegetables in a market”
This ruling signals a judicial effort to address 'petty' corruption that leads to major security lapses. By linking the illegal sale of berths to a violent crime from 2009, the court is framing administrative bribery not just as a financial crime, but as a public safety hazard that enables criminal activity on trains.
