Act No. 24 of
1989
An
Act to consolidate and amend the law relating to
Railways.
Be it enacted by Parliament in the Fortieth Year of the
Republic of India as follows: -
CHAPTER I : PRELIMINARY
1. Short title and
commencement.
(1) This Act may be called the Railways Act,
1989.
(2)
It shall come into force on such date1 as the Central Government
may, by notification in the Official Gazette appoint:
Provided that different
dates may be appointed for different provisions of this Act, and any
reference in any such provisions to the commencement of this Act
shall be construed as a reference to the coming into force of that
provision.
2.
Definitions.
In this Act, unless the context otherwise
requires,-
(1) "authorised" means authorised by a railway
administration;
(2) "carriage" means the carriage of passengers or goods by
a railway administration;
(3) "Claims Tribunal" means the
Railway Claims Tribunal established under section 3 of the Railway
Claims Tribunal Act, 1987 (54 of 1987);
(4) "classification" means the
classification of commodities made under section 31 for the purpose
of determining the rates to be charged for carriage of such
commodities;
(5) "class rates" means the rate fixed for a class of
commodity in the classification;
(6) "Commissioner" means the
Chief Commissioner of Railway Safety or the Commissioner of Railway
Safety appointed under section 5;
(7) "commodity" means a specific
item of goods;
(8) "consignee" means the person named as consignee in a
railway receipt;
(9) "consignment" means goods entrusted to a railway
administration for carriage;
(10) "consignor" means the
person, named in a railway receipt as consignor, by whom or on whose
behalf goods covered by the railway receipt are entrusted to a
railway administration for carriage;
(11) "demurrage" means the charge
levied for the detention of any rolling stock after the expiry of
free time, if any, allowed for such detention;
(12) "endorsee" means
the person in whose favour an endorsement is made, and in the case
of successive endorsements, the person in whose favour the last
endorsement is made;
(13) "endorsement" means the
signing by the consignee or the endorsee after adding a direction on
a railway receipt to pass the property in the goods mentioned in
such receipt to a specified person;
(14) "fare" means the charge
levied for the carriage of passengers;
(15) "ferry" includes a bridge of
boats, pontoons or rafts, a swing bridge, a fly-bridge and a
temporary bridge and the approaches to, and landing places of, a
ferry;
(16) "forwarding note" means the document executed under
section 64;
(17) "freight" means the charge levied for the carriage of
goods including transhipment charges, if any;
(18) "General Manager"
means the General Manager of a Zonal Railway appointed under section
4;
(19)
"goods" includes-
(i) containers, pallets or similar articles of transport
used to consolidate goods; and
(ii) animals;
(20) "Government
railway" means a railway owned by the Central
Government;
(21) "in transit", in relation to the carriage of goods by
railway, means the period between the commencement and the
termination of transit of such goods, and unless otherwise
previously determined-
(a) transit commences as soon as
the railway receipt is issued or the consignment is loaded,
whichever is earlier;
(b) transit terminates on the
expiry of the free time allowed for unloading of consignment from
any rolling stock and where such unloading has been completed within
such free time, transit terminates on the expiry of the free time
allowed, for the removal of the goods from the railway
premises;
(22) "level crossing" means an inter-section of a road with
lines of rails at the same level;
(23) "luggage" means the goods of
a passenger either carried by him in his charge or entrusted to a
railway administration for carriage;
(24) "lump sum rate" means the
rate mutually agreed upon between a railway administration and a
consignor for the carriage of goods and for any service in relation
to such carriage
(25) "non-Government railway" means a railway other than a
Government railway;
(26) "notification" means a
notification published in the Official Gazette;
(27) "parcel" means
goods entrusted to a railway administration for carriage by a
passenger or a parcel train;
(28) "pass" means an authority
given by the Central Government or a railway Administration to a
person allowing him to travel as a passenger, but does not include a
ticket;
(29) "passenger" means a person travelling with a valid pass
or ticket;
(30) "prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this
Act;
(31)
"railway" means a railway, or any portion of a railway, for the
public carriage of passengers or goods, and includes-
(a) all lands within
the fences or other boundary marks indicating the limits of the land
appurtenant to a railway;
(b) all lines of rails, sidings,
or yards, or branches used for the purposes of, or in connection
with, a railway;
(c) all electric traction equipments, power supply and
distribution installations used for the purposes of, or in
connection with, a railway;.
(d) all rolling stock, stations,
offices, warehouses, wharves, workshops, manufactories, fixed plant
and machinery, roads and streets, running rooms, rest houses,
institutes, hospitals, water works and water supply installations,
staff' dwellings and any other works constructed for the purpose of,
or in connection with, railway;
(e) all vehicles which are used
on any road for the purposes of traffic of a railway and owned,
hired or worked by a railway, and
(f) all ferries, ships, boats and
rafts which are used on any canal, river, lake or other navigable
inland waters for the purposes of the traffic of a railway and
owned, hired or worked by a railway administration,
but does not
include-
(i) a tramway wholly within a municipal area;.
and
(ii)
lines of rails built in any exhibition ground, fair, park, or any
other place solely for the purpose of recreation;
(g) "railway
administration", in relation to-
(a) a Government railway, means
the General Manager of a Zonal Railway; and
(b) a non-Government railway,
means the parson who is the owner or lessee of the railway or the
person working the railway under an agreement;
(33) "railway receipt"
means the receipt issued under section 65;
(34) "railway servant" means any
person employed by the Central Government or by a railway
administration in connection with the service of a
railway;
(35) "rate" includes any fare, freight or any other charge
for the carriage of any passenger or goods;
(36) "regulations" means the
regulations made by the Railway Rates Tribunal under this
Act;
(37)
"rolling stock" includes locomotives, lenders, carriages, wagons,
rail-cars, containers, trucks, trolleys and vehicles of all kinds
moving on rails;
(38) "station to station rate" means a special reduced rate
applicable to a specific commodity booked between specified
stations;
(39) "traffic" includes rolling stock of every description,
as well as passengers and goods;
(40) "Tribunal" means the Railway
Rates Tribunal constituted under section 33;
(41) "wharfage" means the charge
levied on goods for not removing them from the railway after the
expiry of the free time for such removal;
(42) "Zonal Railway" means a
Zonal Railway constituted under section 3.
CHAPTER II: RAILWAY ADMINISTRATIONS
3. Zonal
Railways.
(1) The Central Government may, for the purpose of the
efficient administration of the Government railways, by
notification, constitute such railways into as many Zonal Railways
as it may deem fit and specify in such notification the names and
headquarters of such Zonal Railways and the areas in respect of
which they shall exercise jurisdiction.
(2) The Zonal Railway existing
immediately before the commencement of this Act shall be deemed to
be Zonal Railways constituted under sub-section (1).
(3) The Central
Government may, by notification, declare any unit of the railways
engaged in research, development designing,, construction or
production of rolling stock, its parts or, other equipment used on a
railway, to be a Zonal Railway.
(4) The Central Government may,
by notification, abolish any Zonal Railway or constitute any new
Zonal Railway out of any existing Zonal Railway or Zonal Railways,
change the name or headquarters of any Zonal Railway or determine
the areas in respect of which a Zonal Railway shall exercise
jurisdiction.
4. Appointment of
General Manager.
(1) The Central Government shall, by notification, appoint a
person to be the General Manager of a Zonal Railway.
(2) The general
superintendence and control of a Zonal Railway shall vest in the
General Manager.
CHAPTER III : COMMISSIONERS OF RAILWAY SAFETY
5. Appointment of Chief
Commissioner of Railway Safety and Commissioners of Railway
Safety.
The Central Government may appoint a person to be the Chief
Commissioner of Railway Safety and such other persons as it may
consider necessary to be the Commissioners of Railway
Safety.
6. Duties of
Commissioner.
The Commissioner shall-
(a) inspect any railway with a
view to determine whether it is fit to be opened for the public
carriage of passengers and report thereon to the Central Government
as required by or under' this Act;
(b) make such periodical or other
inspections of any railway or of any rolling stock used thereon as
the Central Government may direct;
(c) make an inquiry under this
Act into the cause of any accident on a railway; and
(d) discharge such
other duties as are conferred on him by or under this
Act.
7. Power of
Commissioner.
Subject to the control of the Central Government, the
Commissioner, whenever it is necessary so to do for any of the
purposes of this Act, may-
(a) enter upon and inspect any
railway or any rolling stock used thereon;
(b) by order in writing addressed
to a railway administration, require the attendance before him of
any railway servant and to require answers or returns to such
inquiries as he thinks fit to make from such railway servant or from
the railway administrations; and
(c) require the production of any
book, document or material object belonging to or in the possession
or control of any railway administration which appears to him to be
necessary to inspect.
8. Commissioner to he
public servant.
The Commissioner shall be deemed to be a public servant
within the meaning of section 21 of the Indian Penal Code (45 of
1860).
9. Facilities to be
afforded to Commissioners.
A railway administration shall
afford to the Commissioner all reasonable facilities for the
discharge of the duties or for the exercise of the powers imposed or
conferred on him by or under this Act.
10. Annual report of
Commissioners.
The Chief Commissioner of Railway Safety shall prepare in
each financial year an annual report giving a full account of the
activities of the Commissioners during the financial year
immediately preceding the financial year in which such report is
prepared and forward, before such date as may be specified by the
Central Government, copies thereof to the Central Government and
that Government shall cause that report to be laid, as soon as may
be, after its receipt before each House of
Parliament.
CHAPTER IV: CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE OF WORKS
11. Power of railway
administrations to execute all necessary works.
Notwithstanding
anything contained in any other law for the time being in force, but
subject to the provisions of this Act and the provisions of any law
for the acquisition of land f6r a public purpose or for companies,
and subject also, in the case of a non-Government railway, to the
provisions of any contract between the non-Government railway and
the Central Government, a railway administration may, for the
purposes of Constructing or maintaining a railway-
(a) make or construct
in or upon, across, under or over any lands, or any streets, hills,
valleys, roads, railway, tramways, or any rivers, canals, brooks,
streams or other waters, or any drains, water-pipes, gas-pipes,
oil-pipes, sewers. electric supply lines, or telegraph lines such,
temporary or permanent inclined-planes, bridges, tunnels, culverts,
embankments, aquaducts, roads, lines of rails, ways, passages,
conduits, drains, piers, cuttings and fences, in-take wells, tube
wells, dams, river training and protection works as it thinks
proper;
(b) alter the course of any rivers, brooks, streams or other
water courses, for the purpose of constructing and maintaining
tunnels, bridges, passages or other works over or under them and
divert or alter either temporarily or permanently, the course of any
rivers, brooks, streams or other water courses or any roads, streets
or ways, or raise or sink the level thereof, in order to carry them
more conveniently over or under, or by the side of the
railway,
(c) make drains or conduits into, through or under any lands
adjoining the railway for the purpose of conveying water from or to
the railway;
(d) erect and construct such houses, warehouses, offices and
other buildings, and such yards, stations, wharves, engines,
machinery apparatus and other works and conveniences as the railway
administration thinks proper,
(e) alter, repair or discontinue
such buildings, works and conveniences as aforesaid or any of them
and substitute others in their stead;
(f) erect operate, maintain or
repair any telegraph and telephone lines in connection with the
working of the railway,
(g) erect operate, maintain or
repair any electric traction equipment, power supply and
distribution installation in connection with the working of the
railway; and
(h) do all other acts necessary for making, maintaining,
altering or repairing and using the railway-
12. Power to alter the
position of pipe, electric supply fine, drain or sewer,
etc.
(1)
A railway administration may, for the purpose of exercising the
powers conferred on it by this Act, alter the position of any pipe
for the supply of gas, water, oil or compressed air, or the position
of any electric supply line, drain or sewer:
Provided that before altering the
position of any such pipe, electric supply line, drain or sewer, the
railway administration shall, give a notice indicating the time at
which the work of such alteration shall commence, to the local
authority or other person having control over the pipe, electric
supply line, drain or sewer.
(2) The railway administration
shall execute the work referred to in sub-section (1) to the
reasonable satisfaction of the local authority or the person
receiving the notice under the proviso to sub-section
(1).
13. Protection for
Government property.
Nothing in sections 11 and 12
shall authorise-
(a) a railway administration of the Government railway to do
anything on or to any works, lands or buildings vested in, or in the
possession of, a State Government without the consent of that
Government; and
(b) a railway administration of a non-Government railway to
do anything on or to any works, lands or buildings vested in, or in
the possession of, the Central Government or a State Government
without the consent of the Government concerned.
14. Temporary entry upon
land to remove obstruction, to repair or to prevent
accident.
(1) Where in the opinion of a railway
administration-
(a) there is imminent danger that any tree, post or
structure may fall on the railway so as to obstruct the movement of
rolling stock; or
(b) any tree, post structure or light obstructs the view of
any signal provided for movement of rolling stock; or
(c) any tree, post or
structure obstructs any telephone or telegraph line maintained by
it,
it may take such steps as may be necessary to avert such
danger or remove such obstruction and submit a report thereof to the
Central Government in such manner and within such time as may be
prescribed.
(2) Where in the opinion of a railway
administration-
(a) a slip or accident has occurred; or
(b) there is
apprehension of any slip or accident to any cutting, embankment or
other work on a railway,
it may enter upon any lands
adjoining the railway and do all such works as may be necessary for
the purpose of repairing or preventing such slip or accident and
submit a report thereof to the Central Government in such manner and
within such time as may be prescribed.
(3) The Central Government may,
after considering the report under sub-section (1) or sub-section
(2), in the interest of public safety, by order, direct the railway
administration that further action under sub-section (1) or
sub-section (2) shall be stopped or the same shall be subject to
such conditions as may be specified in that
order.
15. Payment of amount
for damage or loss.
(1) No suit shall lie against a
railway administration to recover any amount for any damage or loss
caused in the exercise of the powers conferred by any of the
foregoing provisions of this Chapter.
(2) A railway administration
shall pay or tender payment for any damage or loss caused in the
exercise of the powers conferred by any of the foregoing provisions
of this Chapter, and in case of a dispute as to the sufficiency of
any amount so paid or tendered or as to the persons entitled to
receive the amount, it shall immediately refer the dispute for the
decision of the District Judge of the district and his decision
thereon shall be final:
Provided that where the railway
administration fails to make a reference within sixty days from the
date of commencement of the dispute, the District Judge may, on an
application made to him by the person concerned, direct the railway
administration to refer the dispute for his decision.
(3) The reference under
sub-section (2) shall be treated as an appeal under section 96 of
the (Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (5 of 1908) and shall be disposed
of accordingly.
(4) Where any amount has been
paid as required by sub-section (2), the railway administration
shall notwithstanding anything in any other law for the time being
in force, be discharged from all liabilities to any person
whatsoever in respect of any amount so paid.
16. Accommodation
works.
(1) A railway administration shall make and maintain the
following works for the accommodation of the owners and occupiers of
lands adjoining the railway, namely:-
(a) such crossings, bridges,
culverts and passages over, under or by the sides of, or leading to
or from, the railway as may, in the opinion of the State Government,
be necessary for the purpose of making good any interruptions caused
by the railway to the use of the lands through which the railway is
made; and
(b) all necessary bridges, tunnels, culverts, drains, water
sources or other passages, over, under or by the sides of the
railway of such dimensions as will, in the opinion of the State
Government be sufficient at all times to convey water as, freely
from or to the lands lying near or affected by the railway as it was
before the making of the railway or as nearly as
possible.
(2) Subject to the other provisions of this Act, the works
specified in sub-section (1) shall be made at the cost of the
railway administration during or immediately after the laying out or
formation of the railway over the lands traversed and in such a
manner as to cause as little damage or inconvenience as possible to
persons interested in the lands or affected by the works
:
Provided that-
(a) a railway administration
shall not be required to make any accommodation works in such a
manner as would prevent or obstruct the working or using of the
railway, or to make any accommodation works will respect to which
the owners or occupiers of the lands have been paid compensation in
consideration of their not requiring the said works to be
made;
(b)
save as hereinafter, in this Chapter, provided, no railway
administration shall be liable to execute any further or additional
accommodation works for the use of the owners or occupiers of the
lands after the expiration of ten years from the date on which the
railway passing through the lands was first opened for public
traffic;
(c) where a railway administration has provided suitable
accommodation work for the crossing of a road or stream and the road
or stream, is afterwards diverted by the act or neglect of the
person having the control thereof, the railway administration shall
not he compelled to provide any other accommodation work for the
crossing of such road or stream.
(3) The State Government may
specify a date for the commencement of any work to be executed under
sub-section (1) and, if within three months next after that date,
the railway administration fails to commence the work or having
commenced it, fails to proceed diligently to execute it the Central
Government shall, on such failure being brought to its notice by the
State Government issue such directions to the railway administration
as it thinks fit.
Explanation.-For the purposes of this section, the
expression "lands" shall include public roads.
17. Power of owner,
occupier, State Government or local authority to cause additional
accommodation works to be made.
(1) If an owner or occupier of'
any land affected by a railway considers the works made under
section 16 to be insufficient for the use of the land, or if the
State Government or a local authority desires to construct a public
road or other work across under or over a railway, such owner or
occupier, or, as the case may be. the State Government or the local
authority, may, at any time, require the railway administration to
make at the expense of the owner or occupier or of the State
Government or the local authority, as the case may be, such further
accommodation works as are considered necessary, and are agreed to
by the railway administration.
(2) The accommodation works made
under sub-section (1) shall be maintained at the cost of the owner
or occupier of the land., the State Government or the local
authority, at whose request the works were made.
(3) In the case of any
difference of opinion between the railway administration and the
owner or occupier, the State Government or the local authority, as,
the case may be, in relation to-
(i) the necessity of such further
accommodation works; or
(ii) the expenses to be incurred
on the construction of such further accommodation works;
or
(iii)
the quantum of expenses on the maintenance of such further
accommodation works, it shall be referred to the Central Government
whose decision thereon shall be final.
18. Fences, gates and
bars.
The
Central Government may, within such time as may be specified by it
or within such further time, as it may grant, require
that-
(a)
boundary marks or fences be provided or renewed by a railway
administration for a railway or any part thereof and for roads
constructed in connection therewith;
(b) suitable gates, chains, bars,
stiles or hand-rails be erected or renewed by a railway
administration at level crossings;
(c) persons be employed by a
railway administration to open and shut gates, chains or
bars.
19. Over-bridges and
under-bridges.
(1) Where a railway
administration has constructed lines of rails across a public road
at the same level, the State Government or the local authority
maintaining the road, may, at any time, in the interest of public
safety, require the railway administration to take the road either
under or over the railway by means of a bridge or arch with
convenient ascents and descents and other convenient approaches,
instead of crossing the road on the level, or to execute such other
works as may, in the circumstances of the case, appear to the State
Government or the local authority maintaining the road to be best
adapted for removing or diminishing the danger arising from the
level crossing.
(2) The railway administration may require the State
Government or the local authority, as the case may be, as a
condition of executing any work under sub-section (1), to undertake
to pay the whole of the cost of the work and the expense of
maintaining the work, to the railway administration or such
Proportion of the cost and expenses as the Central Government
considers just and reasonable.
(3) In the case of any difference
of opinion between the railway administration and the State
Government or the local authority, as the case may be, over any of
the matters mentioned in sub-section (1), it shall be referred to
the Central Government, whose decision thereon shall be
final.
20. Power of Central
Government to give directions for safety.
Notwithstanding anything
contained in any other law, the Central Government may, if it is of
the opinion that any work undertaken or may be undertaken, is likely
to alter or impede the natural course of water flow or cause an
increase in the volume of such flow endangering any cutting,
embankment or other work on a railway, issue directions in writing
to any person, officer or authority responsible for such work to
close, regulate or prohibit that work.
CHAPTER V : OPENING OF RAILWAYS
21. Sanction of the
Central Government to the opening of railway.
No railway shall be
opened for the public carriage of passengers until the Central
Government has, by order, sanctioned the opening thereof for that
purpose.
22. Formalities to be
complied with before giving sanction to the opening of a
railway.
(1) The Central Government shall, before giving its sanction
to the opening of a railway under section 21, obtain a report from
the Commissioner that-
(a) he has made a careful
inspection of the railway and the rolling stock that may be used
thereon;
(b) the moving and fixed dimensions as laid down by the
Central Government have not been infringed;
(c) the structure of lines of
rails, strength of bridges, general structural character of the
works and the size of, and maximum gross load upon, the axles of any
rolling stock, comply with the requirements laid down by the Central
Government; and
(d) in his opinion, the railway can be opened for the public
carriage of passengers without any danger to the public using
it.
(2)
If the commissioner is of the opinion that the railway cannot be
opened without any danger to the public using it, he shall, in his
report, state the grounds therefor, as also the requirements which,
in his opinion, are to be complied with before sanction is given by
the Central Government.
(3) The Central Government, after
considering the report of the Commissioner, may sanction the opening
of a railway under section 21 as such or subject to such conditions
as may be considered necessary 'by it for the safety of the
public.
23. Sections 21 and 22
to apply to the opening of certain works.
The provisions of sections 21 and
22 shall apply to the opening of the following works if they form
part of, or are directly connected with, a railway used for the
public carriage of passengers and have been constructed subsequent
to the giving of a report by the Commissioner under section 22,
namely:-.
(a) opening of additional lines of railway and deviation
lines;
(b) opening of stations, junctions and level
crossings;
(c) re-modelling of yards and re-building of
bridges;
(d) introduction of electric traction; and
(e) any alteration or
reconstruction materially affecting the structural character of any
work to which the provisions of sections 21 and 22 apply or are
extended by this section.
24. Temporary suspension
of traffic.
When an accident has occurred on a railway resulting in a
temporary suspension of traffic, and either the original lines of
rails and works have been restored to their original standard or a
temporary diversion has been laid for the purpose of restoring
communication, the original lines of rails and works so restored, or
the temporary diversion, as the case may be, may, without prior
inspection by the Commissioner, be opened for the public carriage of
passengers, subject to the following conditions,
namely:-
(a) the railway servant incharge of the works undertaken by
reason of the accident has certified in writing that the opening of
the restored lines of rails and works, or of the temporary diversion
will not in his opinion be attended with danger to the public;
and
(b) a
notice of the opening of the lines of rails and works or the
diversion shall he sent immediately to the
Commissioner.
25. Power to close
railway opened for the public carriage of passengers.
Where, after the
inspection of any railway opened and used for the public carriage of
passengers or any rolling stock used thereon, the Commissioner is of
the opinion that the use of the railway or of any rolling stock will
be attended with danger to the public using it, the Commissioner
shall sent a report to the Central Government who may thereupon
direct that-
(i) the railway be closed for the public carriage of
passengers; or
(ii) the use of the rolling stock be discontinued;
or
(iii)
the railway or the rolling stock may be used for the public carriage
of passengers subject to such conditions as it may consider
necessary for the safety of the public.
26. Re-opening of closed
railway.
When the Central Government has, under section 25, directed
the closure of a railway or the discontinuance of the use of any
rolling stock-
(a) the railway shall not be re-opened for the public
carriage of passengers until it has been inspected by the
Commissioner and its re-opening is sanctioned in accordance with the
provisions of this Chapter; and
(b) the rolling stock shall not
be used until it has been inspected by the Commissioner and its
re-use is sanctioned in accordance with the provisions of this
Chapter.
27. Use of rolling
stock.
A
railway administration may use such rolling stock as it may consider
necessary for the construction, operation and working of a
railway:
Provided that before using any rolling stock of a design or
type different from that already running on any section of the
railway, the, previous sanction of the Central Government shall be
obtained for such use.
Provided further that before
giving any such sanction, the Central Government shall obtain a
report from the Commissioner that he has made a careful inspection
of the rolling stock and, in his opinion, such rolling stock can be
used.
28. Delegation of
powers.
The Central Government may, by notification, direct that any
of its powers or functions under this Chapter, except section 29, or
the rules made thereunder shall, in relation to such matters and
subject to such conditions, if any, as may be specified in the
notification, be exercised or discharged also by a
Commissioner.
29. Power to make rules
in respect of matters in this Chapter.
(1) The Central Government may,
by notification, make rules to carry out the purposes of this
Chapter.
(2) In particular, and without prejudice to the generality
of the foregoing power, such rules may provide for all or any of the
following matters, namely:-
(a) the duties of a railway
administration and the Commissioner in regard to the opening of a
railway for the public carriage of passengers;
(b) the arrangements to
be made for and the formalities to be complied with before opening a
railway for the public carriage of passengers;
(c) for regulating the
mode in which, and the speed at which rolling stock used on railways
is to be moved or propelled, and
(d) the cases in which and the
extent to which the procedure provided in this Chapter may be
dispensed with.
CHAPTER VI : FIXATION OF RATES
30. Power to fix
rates.
(1) The Central Government may, from time to time, by
general or special order fix, for the carriage of passengers and
goods, rates for the whole or any part of the railway and different
rates may be fixed for different classes of goods and specify in
such order the conditions subject to which such rates shall
apply.
(2) The Central Government may, by a like order, fix the
rates of any other charges incidental to or connected with such
carriage including demurrage and wharfage for the whole or any part
of the railway and specify in the order the conditions subject to
Which such rates shall apply.
31. Power to classify
commodities or alter rates.
The Central Government shall have
power to-
(a) classify or reclassify any commodity for the purpose of
determining the rates to be charged for the carriage of such
commodities; and
(b) increase or reduce the class rates and other
charges.
32. Power of railway
administration to charge certain rates.
Notwithstanding anything
contained in this Chapter, a railway administration may, in respect
of the carriage of any commodity and subject to such conditions as
may be specified,-
(a) quote a station to station
rate;
(b)
increase or reduce or cancel, after due notice in the manner
determined by the Central Government, a station to station rate, not
being a station to station rate introduced in compliance with an
order made by the Tribunal;
(c) withdraw, alter or amend the
conditions attached to a station to station rate other than
conditions introduced in compliance with an order made by the
Tribunal; and
(d) charge any lump sum rate
CHAPTER VII : RAILWAY RATES TRIBUNAL
33. Constitution of the
Railway Rates Tribunal.
(1) There shall be a Tribunal, to
be called the Railway Rates Tribunal, for the purpose of discharging
the functions specified in this Chapter.
(2) The Tribunal shall consist of
a Chairman and two' other members to be appointed by the Central
Government.
(3) A person shall not be qualified for appointments as the'
Chairman of the Tribunal unless he is, or has been, a Judge of the
Supreme Court or of a High court, and of the other two members, one
shall be a person, who, in the opinion of the Central Government,
has special knowledge of the commercial, industrial or economic
conditions of the country, and the other shall be a person, who, in
the opinion of the Central Government, has special knowledge and
experience of the commercial working of the railways.
(4) The Chairman and
the other members of the tribunal shall hold office for such period,
not exceeding five years, as may he prescribed.
(5) In case the
Chairman or any other member is, by infirmity or otherwise, rendered
incapable of carrying out his duties or is absent on leave or
otherwise in circumstances not involving the vacation of his office,
the Central Government may appoint another person, to act in his
place during his absence.
(6) A person who holds office as
the Chairman or other member of the Tribunal shall, on the
expiration of the term of his office (not being an office to, fill,
a casual vacancy), be ineligible for re-appointment to that
office.
(7) Subject to the provisions of sub-sections (5) and (6),
the Chairman and other member of the Tribunal shall hold office on
such terms and conditions as may be prescribed.
(8) No act or
proceeding of the Tribunal shall be invalidated merely by reason
of
(a)
any vacancy in, or any defect in the constitution of, the Tribunal;
or
(b)
any defect in the appointment of a person acting as a Chairman or
other member of the Tribunal.
34. Staff of the
Tribunal.
(1) The Tribunal may, with the previous approval of the
Central Government appoint such officers and employees as it
considers necessary for the efficient discharge of its functions
under this Chapter.
(2) The terms and conditions of
service of the officers and employees of the Tribunal shall be such
as may be determined by regulations.
35. Sittings of the
Tribunal.
The Tribunal may sit at such place or places as it may find
convenient for the transaction of its business.
36. Complaints against a
railway administration.
Any complaint that a railway
administration-
(a) is contravening the provisions of section 70;
or
(b) is
charging for the carriage of any commodity between two stations a
rate which is unreasonable; or
(c) is levying any other charge
which is unreasonable,
may be made to the Tribunal, and
the Tribunal, shall hear and decide any such complaint in accordance
with the provisions of this Chapter.
37. Matters not within
the jurisdiction of the Tribunal.
Nothing in this Chapter shall
confer jurisdiction on the Tribunal in respect of-
(a) classification or
re-classification of any commodity;
(b) fixation of wharfage and
demurrage charges (including condition attached to such
charges);
(c) fixation of fares levied for the carriage of passengers
and freight levied for the carriage of luggage, parcels, railway
material and military traffic; and
(d) fixation of lump sum
rates.
38. Powers of the
Tribunal.
(1) The Tribunal shall have the powers of the civil court
under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (5 of 1908) for the purposes
of taking evidence on oath, enforcing the attendance of Witnesses,
compelling the discovery and production of documents, issuing
commissions for the examination of witnesses and of review and shall
be deemed to be a civil court for all the purposes of section 195
and Chapter XXXV of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (2 of 1974)
and any reference in such section or Chapter to the presiding
officer of a court shall be deemed to include a reference to the
Chairman of the Tribunal.
(2) The Tribunal shall also have
power to pass such interim and final orders as the circumstance may
require, including orders for the payment of
costs.
39. Reference to the
Tribunal.
Notwithstanding anything contained in section 37, the
Central Government may make a reference to the Tribunal in respect
of any of the matter specified in that section and where any such
reference is made in respect of any such matter, the Tribunal shall
make an inquiry into that matter and submit its report thereon to
the Central Government.
40. Assistance by the
Central Government.
(1) The Central Government shall
give to the Tribunal such assistance as it may require and shall
also place at its disposal any information in the possession of the
Central Government which that Government may think relevant to any
matter before the Tribunal.
(2) Any person duly authorised in
this behalf by the Central Government shall be entitled to appear
and be heard in any proceeding before the
Tribunal.
41. Burden of proof,
etc.
In
the case of any complaint under clause (a) of section
36,-
(a)
whenever it is shown that a railway administration charges one
trader or class of traders or the traders in any local area, lower
rates for the same or similar goods or lower charges for the same or
similar services than it charges to other traders in any other local
area, the burden of providing that such lower rate or charge does
not amount to an undue preference, shall lie on the railway
administration;
(b) in deciding whether a lower
rate or charge does not amount to an undue preference, the Tribunal
may, in addition to any other considerations affecting the case,
take into consideration whether such lower rate or charge is
necessary in the interests of the public.
42. Decision, etc., of
the Tribunal.
The decisions or orders of the
Tribunal shall be by a majority of the members sitting and shall be
final.
43. Bar of jurisdiction
of courts.
No suit shall be instituted or proceeding taken in respect
of any matter which the Tribunal is empowered to deal with, or
decide, under this Chapter.
44. Reliefs which the
Tribunal may grant.
In the case of any complaint made
under clause (b) or clause (c) of section 36, the Tribunal
may-
(i)
fix such rate or charge as it considers reasonable from any date as
it may deem proper, not being a date earlier to the date of the
filing of the complaint;
(ii) direct a refund of amount,
if any, as being the excess of the rate or charge fixed by the
Tribunal under clause (i).
45. Revision of
decisions given by the Tribunal.
Where a railway administration
considers that since the date of decision by the Tribunal, there has
been a material change in the circumstances on which it was based,
it may, after the expiry of one year from such date, make an
application to the Tribunal and the Tribunal may, after making such
inquiry as it considers necessary, vary or revoke the
decision.
46. Execution of
decisions or orders of the Tribunal.
The Tribunal may transmit any
decision or order made by it to a civil court having local
jurisdiction and such civil court shall execute the decision or
order as if it were a decree made by that court.
47. Report of the
Central Government.
The Tribunal shall present
annually a report to the Central Government of all its proceedings
under this Chapter.
48. Power of the
Tribunal to make regulations.
(1) The Tribunal may, with the
previous approval of the Central Government make regulations
consistent with this Act and rules generally to regulate its
procedure for the effective discharge of its functions under this
Chapter.
(2) In particular, and without prejudice to the generality
of the foregoing power, such regulations may provide for all or any
of the following matters, namely:-
(a) the terms and conditions of
service of the officers and employees of the Tribunal,
(b) the award of costs
by the Tribunal in any proceedings before it;
(c) the reference of
any question to a member or to an officer of the Tribunal or any
other person appointed by the Tribunal, for report after holding a
local inquiry;
(d) the right of audience before the Tribunal, provided that
any party shall be entitled to be heard in person, or by a
representative duly authorised in writing, or by a legal
practitioner,
(e) the disposal by the Tribunal of any proceedings before
it, notwithstanding that in the course thereof there has been a
change in the persons sitting as members of the
Tribunal;
(f) a scale of fees for and in connection with the
proceedings before the Tribunal.
CHAPTER VIII : CARRIAGE OF PASSENGERS
49. Exhibition of
certain timings and Tables of fires at stations.
(1) Every railway
administration shall cause to be pasted in a conspicuous and
accessible place at every station in Hindi and English and also in
the regional language commonly in use in the area where the station
is
(i) a
table of times of arrival and departure of trains which carry
passengers and stop at that station, and
(ii) list of fares from such
station to such other stations as it may consider
necessary.
(2) At every station where tickets are issued to passengers,
a copy of the time table in force shall be kept in the office of the
station master.
50 Supply of tickets on
payment of fare.
(1) Any person desirous of travelling on a railway shall,
upon payment of the fare, be supplied with a ticket by a railway
servant or an agent authorised in this behalf and such ticket shall
contain the following particulars, namely,
(i) this date, of
issue;
(ii) the class of carriage;
(iii) the place from and. the
place to which it is issued; and
(iv) the amount of the
fare.
(2)
Every railway administration shall display the hours during which
booking windows at a station shall be kept open for the issue of
tickets to passengers.
(3) The particulars required to
be specified on a ticket under clauses (ii) and (iii) of sub-section
(1) shall,-
(a) if it is for the lowest class of carriage, be set forth
in Hindi English and the regional language commonly in use at. the
place of issue of the ticket; and
(b) if it is for any other class
of carriage, be set forth in Hindi and English:
Provided that where it
is not feasible to specify such particulars in any such language due
to mechanisation or any other reason, the Central Government may
exempt such particulars being specified in that
language.
51. Provision for case
in which ticket is issued for class or train not having
accommodation for additional passengers.
(1) A ticket shall be deemed to
have been issued subject to the condition of availability of
accommodation in the class of carriage and the train for which the
ticket is issued.
(2) If no accommodation is available in the class of
carriage for which a ticket is issued, and the holder thereof
travels in a carriage of a lower class, he shall, no returning such
ticket, be entitled to a refund of the difference between the fare
paid by him and the fare payable for the class of carriage in which
he travels.
52. Cancellation of
ticket and refund.
If a ticket is returned for
cancellation, the railway administration shall cancel the same and
refund such amount as may be prescribed.
53. Prohibition against
transfer of certain tickets.
A ticket issued in the name of a
person shall be used only by that person :
Provided that nothing contained
in this section shall prevent mutual transfer of a seat or berth by
passengers travelling by the same train:
Provided further that a railway
servant authorised in this behalf may permit change of a name of a
passenger having reserved a seat or berth subject to, such
circumstances as may be prescribed.
54. Exhibition and
surrender of passes and ticket.
Every passenger shall, on demand
by any railway servant authorised in this behalf, present his pass
or ticket to such railway servant for examination during the journey
or at the end of the journey and surrender such
ticket-
(a) at the end of the journey, or
(b) if such ticket is issued for
a specified period, on the 'expiration of such
period.
55. Prohibition against
travelling without pass or ticket.
(1) No person shall enter or
remain in any carriage on a railway for the purpose of travelling
therein as a passenger unless he his with him a proper pass or
ticket or obtained permission of a railway servant authorised this
behalf for such travel.
(2) A person obtaining permission
under sub-section (1) shall ordinarily get a certificate from the
railway servant referred to in that sub-section that he has been
permitted to travel in such carriage on condition that he
subsequently pays the fare payable for the distance to be
travelled.
56. Power to refuse to
carry persons suffering from infections or contagious
diseases.
(1) A person suffering from such infectious or contagious
diseases, as may be prescribed, shall not enter or re main in any
carriage on a railway or travel in a train without the permission of
a railway servant authorised in this behalf.
(2) The railway servant
giving permission under sub-section (1), shall arrange for the
separation of the person suffering from such disease from other
persons in the train and, such person shall be carried in the train
subject to such other conditions as may be prescribed.
(3) Any person who
enters or remains in any carriage or travels in a train without
permission as required under sub-section (1) or in contravention of
any condition prescribed under sub-section (2), such person and a
person accompanying him shall be liable to the forfeiture of their
passes or tickets and removal from railway by any railway
servant.
57. Maximum number of
passengers for each compartment.
Subject to the approval of the
Central Government, every railway administration shall fix the
maximum number of passengers which may be carried in each
compartment of every description of carriage, and shall exhibit the
number so fixed in a conspicuous manner inside or outside each
compartment in Hindi English and also in one or more of the regional
languages commonly in use in the areas served by the
railway.
58. Earmarking of
compartment, etc., for ladies.
Every railway administration
shall, in every train carrying passengers, earmark for the exclusive
use of females, one compartment or such number of berths or seats,
as the railway administration may think fit.
59 Communication between
passengers and railway servant in charge of train.
A railway
administration shall provide and maintain in every train carrying
passengers, such efficient means of communication between the
passengers and the railway servant in charge of the train as may be
approved by the Central Government :
Provided that where the railway
administration is satisfied that the means of communication provided
in a train are being misused, it may cause such means to be
disconnected in that train for such period as it thinks,
fit.
Provided further that the Central Government may specify the
circumstances under which a railway administration may be exempted
from providing such means of communication in any
train.
60. Power to make rule
in respect of matters in this Chapter.
(1) The Central Government may,
by notification, make rules to carry out the purposes of this
Chapter.
(2) In particular, and without prejudice to, the generality
of the foregoing power, such rules may provide for all or any of the
following matters, namely :-
(a) the convenience and
accommodation (including the reservation of seats or berths in
trains) to passengers;
(b) the amount of refund for the
cancellation of a ticket;
(c) the circumstances under which
change of names of passengers, having reserved seats or berths, may
be permitted;
(d) the carriage of luggage and the conditions subject to
which luggage may be kept in the cloak rooms at the
stations;
(e) diseases which are infectious or
contagious
(f) the conditions subject to which a railway administration
may carry passengers suffering from infectious or contagious,
diseases and the manner in which carriages used by such passengers
may be disinfected;
(g) generally, for regulating the
travelling upon, and the use, working and management of the
railways.
(3) Any rule made under this section may provide that a
contravention thereof shall be punishable with fine which shall not
exceed five hundred rupees.
(4) Every railway administration
shall keep at every station on its railway a copy of all the rules
made under this section and shall also allow any person to inspect
it free of charge.
CHAPTER IX : CARRIAGE OF GOODS
61. Maintenance of
rate-books, etc., for carriage of goods.
Every railway administration
shall maintain, at each station and at such other places where goods
are received for carriage the rate-books or other documents which
shall contain the rate authorised for the carriage of goods from one
station to another and make them available for the reference of any
person during all reasonable hours without payment of any
fee.
62. Conditions for
receiving, etc., of goods.
(1) A railway; administration may
impose conditions, not inconsistent with this Act or rules made
thereunder, with respect to the receiving, forwarding, carrying or
delivering of any goods.
(2) A railway administration
shall maintain, at each station and at such other places where goods
are received for carriage, a copy of the conditions for the time
being in force under sub-section (1) and make them available for the
reference of any person during all reasonable hours without payment
of any fee.
63. Provision of risk
rate.
(1) Where any goods are entrusted to a railway
administration for carriage, such carriage shall, except where
owner’s risk rate is applicable in respect of such goods, be at
railway risk rate.
(2) Any goods, for which owner's
risk rate and railway risk rate are in force, may be entrusted for
carriage at either of the rates and if no rate is opted, the goods
shall be deemed to have been entrusted at owner's risk
rate.
64. Forwarding
note.-
(1) Every person entrusting any goods to a railway
administration for carriage shall execute a forwarding note in such
form as may be specified by the Central
Government:
Provided that no forwarding note shall be executed in the
case of such goods as may be prescribed.
(2) The consignor shall be
responsible for the correctness of the particulars furnished by him
in the forwarding note.
(3) The consignor shall indemnify
the railway station against any damage, suffered by it, by reason of
the incorrectness or incompleteness of the particulars in the
forwarding note.
65. Railway
receipt.
(1) A railway administration shall,-
(a) in a case where the goods are
to he loaded by a person entrusting such goods, on the completion of
such loading; or
(b) in any other case, on the acceptance of the goods by
it,
issue
a railway receipt in such form as may be specified by the Central
Government.
(2) A railway receipt shall be, Prima facie evidence of the
weight and the number of packages stated therein:
Provided that in the
case of a consignment in wagon-load or train-load and the weight or
the number of packages is not checked by a railway servant
authorised in this behalf, and a statement to that effect is
recorded in such railway receipt by him, the burden of proving the
weight or, as the case may be, the number of packages stated
therein, shall lie on the consignor, the consignee or the
endorsee.
66. Power to require
statement relating to the description of goods.
(1) The owner or a
person having charge of any goods which are brought upon a railway
for the purposes of carriage by railway, and the consignee or the
endorsee of any consignment shall, on the request of any railway
servant authorised in this behalf, deliver to such railway servant a
statement in writing signed by such owner or person or by such
consignee or endorsee, as the case may be, containing such
description of the goods as would enable the railway servant to
determine the rate for such carriage.
(2) If such owner or person
refuses or neglects to give the statement as required under sub.
section (1) and refuses to open the package containing the goods, if
so required by the railway servant it shall be open to the railway
administration to refuse to accept such goods for carriage unless
such owner or person pays for such carriage the highest rate for any
class of goods,.
(3) If the consignee or endorsee refuses or neglects to give
the statement as required under sub-section (1) and refuses to open
the package containing the goods, if so required by the railway
servant, it shall be open to the railway administration to charge in
respect of the carriage of the goods the highest rate for any class
of goods.
(4) If the statement delivered under sub-section (1) is
materially false with respect to the description of any goods to
which it purports to relate, the railway administration may charge
in respect of the carriage of such goods such rate, not exceeding
double the highest rate for any class of goods as may be specified
by the Central Government.
(5) If any difference arises
between a railway servant and such owner or person, the consignee or
the endorsee, as the case may be, in respect of the description of
the goods for which a statement has been delivered under sub-section
(1), the railway servant may detain and examine the
goods.
(6) Where any goods have been detained under sub-section (5)
for examination and upon such examination it is found that the
description of the goods is different from that given in the
statement delivered under sub-section (1), the cost of such
detention and examination shall be borne by such owner or person,
the consignee or the endorsee, as the case may be, and the railway
administration shall not be liable for any loss, damage or
deterioration which may be caused by such detention or
examination.
67. Carriage of
dangerous or offensive goods.
(1) No person shall take with him
on a railway, or require a railway administration to carry such
dangerous or offensive goods, as may be prescribed, except in
accordance with the provisions of this section.
(2) No person shall
take with him on a railway the goods referred to in a sub-section
(1) unless he gives a notice in writing of their dangerous or
offensive nature to the railway servant authorised in this
behalf.
(3) No person shall entrust the goods referred to in
sub-section (1) to a railway servant authorised in this behalf for
carriage unless he distinctly marks on the outside of the package
containing such goods their dangerous or offensive nature and gives
a notice in writing of their dangerous or offensive nature to such
railway servant.
(4) If any railway servant has reason to believe that goods
contained in a package are dangerous or offensive and notice as
required under sub-section (2) or sub-section (3), as the case may
be, in respect of such goods is not given, he may cause such package
to be opened for the, purpose of ascertaining its
contents.
(5) Notwithstanding anything contained, in this section, any
railway servant may refuse to accept any dangerous or offensive
goods for carriage or stop, in transit such goods or cause the same
to be removed, as the case may be, if he has reason to believe that
the provisions of this section for such carriage are not complied
with.
(6)
Nothing in this section shall be construed to derogate from the
provisions of the Indian Explosives Act, 1884 (4 of 1884), or any
rule or order made under that Act, and nothing in sub-sections (4)
and (5) shall be construed to apply to any goods entrusted for
carriage by order or on behalf of the Government or to any goods
which a soldier, sailor, airman or any other officer of the armed
forces of the Union or a police officer or a member of the
Territorial Army or of the National Cadet Corps may take with him on
a railway in the course of his employment or duty as
such.
68. Carriage of animals
suffering from infectious or contagious diseases.
A railway
administration shall not be bound to carry any animal suffering from
such infectious or contagious disease as may be
prescribed.
69. Deviation of
route.
Where due to any cause beyond the control of a railway
administration or due to congestion in the yard or any other
operational reasons, goods are carried over a route other than the
route by which such goods are booked, the railway administration
shall not be deemed to have committed a breach of the contract of
carriage by reason only of the deviation of the
route.
70. Prohibition of undue
preference.
A railway administration shall not make or give any undue or
unreasonable preference or advantage to, or in favour of, any
particular person or any particular description of traffic in the
carriage of goods.
71. Power to give
direction in regard to carriage of certain goods.
(1) The Central
Government may, if it is of the opinion that it is necessary in the
public interest so to do, by general or special order, direct any
railway administration-
(a) to give special facilities
for, or preference to, the carriage of such goods or class of goods
consigned by or to the Central Government or the Government of any
State or of such other goods or class of goods;
(b) to carry any goods
or class of goods by such route or routes and at such
rates;
(c) to restrict or, refuse acceptance of such goods or class
of goods at or to such station for carriage,
as may be specified in the
order.
(2) Any order made under sub-section (1) shall cease to have
effect after the expiration of a period of one year from the date of
such order, but may, by a like order, be renewed from time to time
for such period not exceeding one year at a time as may be specified
in the order.
(3) Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act, every
railway administration shall be bound to comply with any order given
under sub-section (1) and any action taken by a railway
administration in pursuance of any such order shall not be deemed to
be a contravention of section 70.
72. Maximum carrying
capacity for wagons and trucks.
(1) The gross weight of every
wagon or truck bearing on the axles when the wagon or truck is
loaded to its maximum carrying capacity shall not exceed such limit
as may be fixed by the Central Government for the class of axle
under the wagon or truck.
(2) Subject to the limit fixed
under sub-section (1), every railway administration shall determine
the normal carrying capacity for every wagon or truck in its
possession and shall exhibit in words and figures the normal
carrying capacity so determined in a conspicuous manner on the
outside of every such wagon or truck.
(3) Every person owning a wagon
or truck which passes over a railway shall determine and exhibit the
normal carrying capacity for the wagon or truck in the manner
specified in sub-section (2).
(4) Notwithstanding anything
contained in sub-section (2) or sub-section (3), where a railway
administration considers it necessary or expedient so to do in
respect of any wagon or truck carrying any specified class of goods
or any class of wagons or trucks of any specified type, it may vary
the normal carrying capacity for such wagon or truck or such class
of wagons or trucks and subject to such conditions as it may think
fit to impose, determine for the wagon or truck or class of wagons
or trucks such carrying capacity as may be specified in the
notification and it shall not be necessary to exhibit the words and
figures representing, the carrying capacity so determined on the
outside of such wagon or truck or such class of wagons or
trucks.
73. Punitive charge for
overloading a wagon.
Where a person loads goods in a
wagon beyond its permissible carrying capacity as exhibited under
sub-section (2) or sub-section (3), or notified under sub-section
(4), of section 72, a railway administration may, in addition to the
freight and other charges, recover from the consignor, the consignee
or the endorsee, as the case may be, charges by way of penalty at
such rates. as may be prescribed, before the delivery of the
goods:
Provided that it shall be lawful for the railway
administration to unload the goods loaded beyond the capacity of the
wagon, if detected at the forwarding station or at any place before
the destination station and to recover the cost of such unloading
and any charge for the detention of any wagon on this
account
74. Passing of property
in the goods covered by railway receipt.
The property in the
consignment covered by a railway receipt shall pass to the consignee
or the endorsee, as the case may be, on the delivery of such railway
receipt to him and he shall have all the rights and liabilities of
the consignor.
75. Section 74 not to
affect right of stoppage in transit or claims for
freight.
Nothing contained in section 74 shall prejudice or
affect-
(a) any right of the consignor for stoppage of goods in
transit as an unpaid vendor (as defined under the Sale of Goods Act,
1930) (3 of 1930) on his written request to the railway
administration;
(b) any right of the railway to claim freight from the
consignor; or
(c) any liability of the consignee or the endorsee, referred
to in that section by reason of his being such consignee or
endorsee,
76. Surrender of railway
receipt.
The railway administration shall deliver the consignment
under a railway receipt on the surrender of such railway
receipt:
Provided that in case the railway receipt is not
forthcoming, the consignment may be delivered to the person,
entitled in the opinion of the railway administration to receive the
goods, in such manner as may be prescribed.
77. Power of railway
administration to deliver goods or sale proceeds thereof in certain
cues.
Where no railway receipt is forthcoming and any consignment
or the sale proceeds of any consignment are claimed by two or more
persons, the railway administration may withhold delivery of such
consignment or sale proceeds as the case may be, and shall deliver
such consignment or sale proceeds in such manner as ma be
prescribed.
78. Power to measure,
weigh, etc.
Notwithstanding anything contained in the railway receipt,
the railway administration may, before the delivery of the
consignment, have the right to-
(i) re-measure, re-weigh or
re-classify any consignment;
(ii) re-calculate the freight and
other charges; and
(iii) correct any other error or
collect any amount that may have been omitted to be
charged.
79. Weighment of
consignment on request of the consignee or
endorsee.
A railway administration may, on the request made by the
consignee or endorsed, allow weighment of the consignment subject to
such conditions and on payment of such charges as may be prescribed
and the demurrage charges if any:
Provided that except in cases
where a railway servant authorised in this behalf considers it
necessary so to do, no weighment shall be allowed of goods booked at
owner's risk rate or goods which are perishable and are likely to
lose weight in transit:
Provided further that no request
for weighment of consignment in wagon-load or train-load, shall be
allowed if the weighment is not feasible due to congestion in the
yard or such other circumstances as may be
prescribed.
80. Liability of railway
administration for wrong delivery.
Where a railway administration
delivers the consignment to the person who produces the railway
receipt it shall not be responsible for any wrong delivery on the
ground that such person is not entitled thereto or that the
endorsement on the railway receipt is forged or otherwise
defective.
81. Open delivery of
consignments.
Where the consignment arrives in
a damaged condition or shows signs of having been tampered with and
the consignee or the endorsee demands open delivery, the railway
administration shall give open delivery in such manner as may he
prescribed.
82. Partial delivery of
consignments.
(1) The consignee or endorsee
shall, as soon as the consignment or part thereof is ready for
delivery, take delivery of such consignment or part thereof
notwithstanding that such consignment or part thereof is
damaged.
(2) In the case of partial delivery under sub-section (1),
the railway administration shall furnish a partial delivery
certificate, in such form as may be prescribed.
(3) If the consignee or
endorsee refuses, to take delivery under sub-section (1), the
consignment or part thereof shall be subject 1 to wharfage charges
beyond the time allowed for removal.
83. Lien for freight or
any other sum due.
(1) If the consignor, the
consignee or the endorsee fails to pay on demand any freight or
other charges due from him in respect of any consignment, the
railway administration may detain such consignment or part thereof
or, if such consignment is delivered, it may detain any other
consignment of such person which is in, or thereafter comes into,
its possession.
(2) The railway administration may, if the consignment
detained under sub-section (1) is-
(a) perishable in nature, sell at
once; or
(b) not perishable in nature, sell, by public
auction,
such consignment or part thereof, as may be necessary to
realise a sum equal to the freight or other charges :
Provided that where a
railway administration for reasons to be recorded in writing is of
the opinion that it is not expedient to hold the auction, such
consignment or part thereof may be sold in such manner as may be
prescribed.
(3) The railway administration shall give a notice of not
less than seven days of the public auction under clause (b) of
sub-section (2) in one or more local newspapers or where there are
no such newspapers in such manner as may be
prescribed.
(4) The railway administration may, out of the sale proceeds
received under sub-section (2), retain a sum equal to the freight
and other charges including expenses for the sale due to it and the
surplus of such proceeds and the part of the consignment, if any,
shall be rendered to the person entitled thereto.
84. Unclaimed
consignment.
(1) If any person fails to take delivery of-
(a) any consignment;
or
(b)
the consignment released from detention made under sub-section (1)
of section 83; or
(c) any remaining part of the consignment under sub-section
(2) of section 83 such consignment shall be treated as
unclaimed.
(2) The railway administration may,-
(a) in the case of an unclaimed
consignment which is perishable in nature, sell such consignment in
the manner provided in clause (a) of sub-section (2) of section 83;
or
(b) in
the cast of an unclaimed consignment which is not perishable in
nature, cause a notice to be served upon the consignee if his name
and address are known, and upon the consignor if the name and
address of the consignee are not known, requiring him to remove the
goods within a period of seven days from the receipt thereof and if
such notice cannot be served or there is a failure to comply with
the requisition in the notice, sell such consignment in the manner
provided in clause (b) of sub-section (2) of section
83.
(3)
The railway administration shall, out of the sale proceeds received
under sub-section (2), retain a sum equal to the freight and other
charges including expenses for the sale due to it and the surplus,
if any, of such sale proceeds shall be rendered to the person
entitled thereto.
85. Disposal of
perishable consignments in certain
circumstances.
(1) Where by reason of any flood,
land-slip, breach of any lines of rails, collision between trains,
derailment of, or other accident to a train or any other cause,
traffic on any route is interrupted and there is no likelihood of
early resumption of such traffic, nor is there any other reasonable
route whereby traffic of perishable consignment may be diverted to
prevent, loss or deterioration of, or damage to, such consignment
the railway administration may sell them in the manner provided in
clause (a) of sub-section (2) of section 83.
(2) The railway administration
shall, out of the sale proceeds received under sub-section (1),
retain a sum equal to the freight and other charges including
expenses for the sale due to it and the surplus, if any, of such
sale proceeds, shall be rendered to the person entitled
thereto.
86. Sales under sections
83 to 85 not to affect the right to suit.
Notwithstanding
anything contained in this Chapter, the right of sale under sections
83 to 85 shall be without prejudice to the right of the railway
administration to recover by suit, any freight, charge, amount or
other expenses due to it.
87. Power to make rules
in respect of matters in this Chapter.
(1) The Central Government may,
by notification, make rules to carry out the purposes of this
Chapter.
(2) In particular, and without prejudice to the generality
of the foregoing power, such rules may provide for all or any of the
following matters, namely:-
(a) goods in respect of which no
forwarding note shall be executed under proviso to sub-section (1)
of section 64;
(b) dangerous and offensive goods for the purposes of
sub-section (1) of section 67;
(c) infectious or contagious
diseases for the purposes of section 68,
(d) rates of penalty charges
under section 73;
(e) the manner in which the consignment may be delivered
without a railway receipt under section 76;
(f) the manner of delivery of
consignment or the sale proceeds to the person entitled thereto
under section 77,
(g) the conditions subject to which and charges payable for
allowing weighment and circumstances for not allowing weighment of
consignment in wagon-load or train-load under section
79;
(h)
the manner of giving open delivery under section 81,
(i) the form of partial
delivery certificate under sub-section (2) of section
82;
(j)
the manner of sale of consignment or part thereof under the proviso
to sub-section (2) of section 83;
(k) the manner in which a notice
under sub-section (3) of section 83 may be given;
(l) generally, for
regulating the carriage of goods by the railways.
(3) Any rule made under
this section may provide that a contravention thereof shall be
punishable with fine which may extend to one hundred and fifty
rupees.
(4) Every railway administration shall keep at each station
a copy of the rules for the time being in force under this section,
and shall allow any. person to refer to it free of
charge.
CHAPTER X : SPECIAL PROVISIONS AS TO GOODS BOOKED TO NOTIFIED STATIONS
88.
Definitions.
In this Chapter, unless the
context otherwise requires,-
(a) "essential commodity" means
an essential commodity as defined in clause (a) of section 2 of the
Essential Commodities Act 1955 (10 of 1955);
(b) "notified station" means a
station declared to be a notified' station under section
89;
(c)
"State Government", in relation to a notified station, means the
Government of the State in which such station is situated, or where
such station is situated in a Union territory, the administrator of
that Union territory appointed under article 239 of the
Constitution.
89. Power to declare
notified stations.
(1) The Central Government may,
if it is satisfied that it is necessary that goods entrusted for
carriage by train intended solely for the carriage of goods to any
railway station should be removed without delay from such railway
station declare, by notification, such railway station to be a
notified station for such period as may be specified in the
notification:
Provided that before declaring any railway station to be a
notified station under this subsection, the Central Government shall
have regard. to all or any of the following factors,
namely:-
(a) the volume of traffic and the storage space available at
such railway station;
(b) the nature and quantities of
goods generally booked to such railway station;
(c) the scope for
causing scarcity of such goods by not removing them for long periods
from such railway station and the hardship which such scarcity may
cause to the community;
(d) the number of wagons likely
to be held up at such railway station if goods are not removed
therefrom quickly and the need for quick movement and availability
of such wagons;
(e) such other factors (being relevant from. the point of
view of the interest of the general public) as may be
prescribed:
Provided further that the period specified in any
notification, issued under this sub-section in respect of any
railway station shall not exceeds six months in the first instance,
but such period may, by notification, be extended from time to time
by a period not exceeding six months on each occasion.
(2) If any person
entrusting any goods to a railway administration to be carried to a
notified station makes an application in such form and manner as may
be prescribed and specifies therein the address of the person to
whom intimation by registered post of the arrival of the goods at
the notified station shall be given and pays the postage charges
required for giving such intimation, the railway administration
shall, as soon as may be after the arrival of the goods at the
notified station, send such intimation accordingly.
(3) There shall be
exhibited at a conspicuous place at each notified station a
statement in the prescribed form setting out the description of the
goods which by reason of the fact that they have not been removed
from the station within a period of seven days from the termination
of transit thereof are liable to be sold, in accordance with the
provision, of sub-section (1) of section 90 by public auction and
the dates on which they would be so sold:
Provided that different
statements may be so exhibited in respect of goods proposed to be
sold on different dates.
(4) If the goods specified in any
statement to be exhibited under sub-section (3) include essential
commodities, the railway servant preparing the statement shall, as
soon as may be after the preparation of such statement, forward a
copy thereof to-
(a) the representative of the Central Government nominated
by that Government in this behalf,
(b) the representative of the
State Government, nominated by that Government in this behalf;
and
(c)
the District Magistrate within the local limits of whose
Jurisdiction the railway station is situated.
90. Disposal of
unremoved goods at notified stations.
(1) If any goods entrusted for
carriage to any notified station by a train intended solely for the
carriage of goods are not, removed from such station by a person,
entitled to do so within a period of seven days after the
termination of transit thereof at such station, the railway
administration may, subject to the provisions of sub-section (2),
sell such goods by public auction and apart from exhibiting, in
accordance with the provisions of sub-section (3) of section 89, a
statement containing a description of such goods, it shall not be
necessary to give any notice of such public auction, but the date on
which such auction may be held under this sub-section may be
notified in one or more local newspapers, or where there are no such
newspapers, in such manner as may be prescribed.
Provided that if at any
time before the sale of such goods under this sub-section, the
person entitled thereto pays the freight, and other charges and the
expenses due in respect there of to the railway administration, he
shall be allowed to remove such goods.
(2) If any goods which may be
sold by public auction under sub-section (1) at a notified station,
being essential commodities, are required by they Central Government
or the State Government for its own use or if the Central Government
or such State Government considers that it is necessary for securing
the availability of all or any such essential commodities at fair
prices so to do, it may, by order in writing direct the railway
servant in-charge of such auction to transfer such goods to it or to
such agency, co-operative society or other person (being an agency,
co-operative society or other person subject to the control of the
Government ) engaged in the business of selling such essential
commodities as may be specified in the
direction.
(3) Every direction issued under sub-section (2) in respect
of any essential commodity shall be binding on the railway, servant
to whom it is issued and the railway administration and it shall be
a sufficient defence against any claim by the person, entitled to
the goods that such essential commodities have been transferred in
compliance with such direction.
Provided
that-
(a) such direction shall not be binding on such railway
servant or the railway administration-
(i) if it has not been received
by the railway servant sufficiently in time to enable him to prevent
the sale of the essential commodities to which it relates;
or
(ii)
if before the time appointed for such sale, the person entitled to
such goods pays the freight and other charges and the expenses due
in respect thereof and claims that he be allowed to remove the
goods; or
(iii) if the price payable for such goods (as estimated by
the Central Government or, as the case may be, the State Government)
is not credited to the railway administration in the prescribed
manner and the railway administration is not indemnified against any
additional amount which it may become liable to pay towards the
price by reason of the price not having been computed in accordance
with the provisions of sub-section (4);
(b) where directions are issued
in respect of the same goods both by the Central Government and the
State Government the directions received earlier shall
prevail.
(4) The price payable for any essential commodity
transferred in compliance with a direction issued under sub-section
(2) shall be the price calculated in accordance with the provisions
of sub-section (3) of section 3 of the Essential Commodities Act,
1955 (10 of 1955):
Provided
that-
(a)
in the case of any essential commodity being a food-stuff in respect
whereof a notification issued under sub-section (31) of section 3 of
the Essential Commodities Act 1955 (10 of 1955), is in force in the
locality in which the notified station is situated, the price
payable shall be calculated in accordance with the provisions of
clauses (iii) and (iv) of that sub-section;
(b) in the case of an essential
commodity being any grade or variety of foodgrains, edible oil-seeds
or edible oils in respect whereof no notification issued under
sub-section (10 of section 3 of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955
(10 of 1955), is in force in the locality in which the notified
station is situated, the price payable shall be calculated in
accordance with the provisions of sub-section (3B) of that
section;
(c) in the case of an essential commodity being any. kind of
sugar in respect whereof no notification issued under sub-section
(3A) of section 3 of the Essential Commodities Act 1955 (10 of
1955), is in force in the locality in which the notified station is
situated, the price payable shall, if such sugar has been booked by
the producer to himself, be calculated in accordance with the
provisions of sub-section (3C) of that section.
Explanation.-For the
purposes of this clause, the expressions "producer" and "sugar"
shall have the meanings assigned to these expressions in the
Explanation to sub-section (3C) of section 3, and clause (e) of
section 2 of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 (10 of 1955),
respectively.
91. Price to he paid to
person entitled after deducting dues.
(1) Out of the proceeds of any
sale of goods under sub-section (1) of section 90 or the price
payable therefor under sub-section (4) of that section, the railway
administration may retain a sum equal to the freight and other
charges due in respect of such goods and the expenses incurred in
respect of the goods and the auction thereof and render the surplus,
if any, to the person entitled thereto.
(2) Notwithstanding anything
contained in sub-section (1), the railway administration may recover
by suit any such freight or charge or expenses referred to therein
or balance thereof.
(3) Any goods sold under
sub-section (1) of section 90 or transferred in compliance with the
directions issued under sub-section (2) of that section shall vest
in the buyer or the transferee free from all encumbrances but
subject to a priority being given for the sum which may be retained
by a railway administration under sub-section (1), the person in
whose favour such encumbrance subsists may have a claim in respect
of such encumbrance against the surplus, if any, referred to in that
sub-section
92. Power to make rules
in respect of matters in this Chapter.
(1) The Central Government may,
by notification, make rules to carry out the purposes of this
Chapter.
(2) In particular, and without prejudice to the generality
of the foregoing power, such rules may provide for all or any of the
following matters, namely.-
(a) the factors to which the
Central Government shall have regard under clause (e) of the first
proviso to sub-section (1) of section 89;
(b) the form and manner in which
an application may be made under sub-section (2) of section
89;
(c)
the form in which a statement is required to be exhibited under
sub-section (3) of section 89;
(d) the manner in which. the
dates of public auctions may be notified under sub-section (1) of
section 90;
(e) the manner of crediting to the railway administration
the price of goods referred to in sub-clause (iii) of clause (a) of
the proviso to sub-section, (3) of section
90.
CHAPTER XI : RESPONSIBILITIES OF RAILWAY ADMINISTRATIONS AS CARRIERS
93. General
responsibility of a railway administration as carrier of
goods.
Save as otherwise provided in this Act, a railway
administration shall be responsible. for the loss, destruction,
damage or deterioration in transit, or non-delivery of any
consignment, arising from any cause except the following,
namely.-
(a) act of God;
(b) act of war;
(c) act of public
enemies;
(d) arrest, restraint or seizure under legal
process;
(e) orders or restrictions imposed by the Central Government
or a State Government or by an officer or authority subordinate to
the Central Government or a State Government authorised by it in
this behalf;
(f) act or omission or negligence of the consignor or the
consignee or the endorsee or the agent or servant of the consignor
or the consignee or the endorsee;
(g) natural deterioration or
wastage in bulk or weight due to inherent defect, quality or vice of
the goods;
(h) latent defects;
(i) fire, explosion or any
unforeseen risk:
Provided that even where such loss, destruction, damage,
deterioration or non-delivery is proved to have arisen from any one
or more of the aforesaid causes, the railway administration, shall
not be relieved of its responsibility for the loss, destruction,
damage, deterioration or not delivery unless the railway
administration further proves that it has used reasonable foresight
and care in the carriage of the goods.
94. Goods to be loaded
or delivered at a siding not belonging to a railway
administration.
(1) Where goods are required to be loaded at a siding not
belonging to a railway administration for carriage by railway, the
railway administration shall not be responsible for any loss,
destruction, damage or deterioration of such goods from whatever
cause arising, until the wagon containing the goods has been placed
at the specified point of interchange of wagons between the siding
and the railway administration and a railway servant authorised in
this behalf has been informed in writing accordingly by the owner of
the siding.
(2) Where any consignment is required to be delivered by a
railway administration at a siding not belonging to a railway
administration, the railway administration shall not be responsible
for any loss, destruction, damage or deterioration or non-delivery
of such consignment from whatever cause arising after the wagon
containing the consignment has been placed at the specified point of
interchange of wagons between the railway and the siding and the
owner of the siding has been informed in writing accordingly by a
railway servant authorised in this behalf.
95. Delay or retention
in transit.
A railway administration shall not be responsible for the
loss, destruction, damage or deterioration of any consignment proved
by the owner to have been caused by the delay or detention in their
carriage if the railway administration proves that the delay or
detention arose for reasons beyond its control or without negligence
or misconduct on its part or on the part of any of its
servants.
96. Traffic passing over
railways in India and railways in foreign
countries.
Where in the course of carriage of any consignment from a
place in India to a place outside India or from a place outside
India to a place in India or from one place outside India to another
place outside India or from one place in India to another place in
India over any territory outside India, it is carried over the
railways of any railway administration in India, the railway
administration shall not be responsible under any of the provisions
of this Chapter for the loss, destruction, damage or deterioration
of the goods, from whatever cause arising, unless it is proved by
the owner of the goods that such loss, destruction, damage or
deterioration arose over the railway of the railway
administration.
97. Goods carried at
owner's risk rate.
Notwithstanding anything
contained in section 93, a railway administration shall not be
responsible for any loss, destruction, damage, deterioration or
non-delivery in transit, of any consignment carried at owner's risk
rate, from whatever cause arising, except upon proof, that such
loss, destruction, damage, deterioration or non-delivery was due to
negligence or misconduct on its part or on the part of any of its
servants :
Provided that-
(a) where the whole of such
consignment or the whole of any package forming part of such
consignment is not delivered to the consignee or the endorsee and
such non-delivery is not proved by the railway administration to
have been due to fire or to any accident to the train;
or
(b)
where in respect of any such consignment or of any package forming
part of such consignment which had been so covered or protected that
the covering or protection was not readily removable by hand, it is
pointed out to the railway administration on or before delivery that
any part of that consignment or package had been pilfered in
transit,
the railway administration shall be bound to disclose to the
consignor, the consignee or the endorsee how the consignment or the
package was dealt with throughout the time it was in its possession
or control, but if negligence or misconduct on the part of the
railway administration or of any of its servants cannot be fairly
inferred from such disclosure, the burden of proving such negligence
or misconduct shall lie on the consignor, the consignee or the
endorsee.
98. Goods in defective
condition or defectively packed.
(1) Notwithstanding anything
contained in the foregoing provisions of this Chapter, when any
goods entrusted to a railway administration for
carriage-
(a) are in a defective condition as a consequence of which
they are liable to damage, deterioration, leakage or wastage;
or
(b)
are either defectively packed or not packed in such manner as may be
prescribed and as a result of such defective or improper packing are
liable to damage, deterioration, leakage or wastage,
and the fact of such
condition or defective or improper packing has been recorded by the
consignor or his agent in the forwarding note, the railway
administration shall not be responsible for any. damage,
deterioration. leakage or wastage or for the condition in which such
goods are available for delivery at destination:
Provided that the
railway administration shall be responsible for any such damage
deterioration, leakage or wastage or for the Condition in which such
goods are available for delivery at destination if negligence or
misconduct on the part of the railway administration or of any of
its servants is proved.
(2) When any goods entrusted to a
railway administration for carriage are found on arrival at the
destination station to have been damaged or to have suffered
deterioration, leakage or wastage, the railway administration shall
not be responsible for the damage, deterioration, leakage or wastage
of the goods on proof by railway administration,-
(a) that the goods
were, at the time of entrustment to the railway administration, in a
defective condition, or were at that time either defectively packed
or not packed in such manner as may be prescribed and as a result of
which we're liable to damage, deterioration, leakage or wastage;
and
(b)
that such defective condition or defective or improper packing was
not brought to the notice of the railway administration or any of
its servants at the time of entrustment of the goods to the railway
administration for carriage by railway :
Provided that the railway
administration shall be responsible for any such damage,
deterioration, leakage or wastage if negligence or misconduct on the
part of the railway administration or of any of its servants is
proved.
99. Responsibility of a
railway administration after termination of
transit.
(1) A railway administration shall be responsible as a
bailee under sections 151, 152 and 161 of the Indian Contract- Act,
1872 (9 of 1872), for the loss, destruction, damage, deterioration
or non-delivery of any consignment up to a period of seven day after
the termination of transit :
Provided that where the
consignment is at owner's risk rate the railway administration shall
not be responsible as a bailee for such loss, destruction, damage,
deterioration or non-delivery except on proof of negligence or
misconduct on the part of the railway administration or of any of
its servants.
(2) The railway administration shall not be, responsible in
any case for the loss, destruction, damage, deterioration or
non-delivery of any consignment arising after the expiry of a period
of seven days after the termination of transit.
(3) Notwithstanding
anything contained in the foregoing provisions of this section, a
railway administration shall not be responsible for the loss,
destruction, damage, deterioration or non-delivery of perishable
goods, animals, explosives and such dangerous or other goods as may
be prescribed, after the termination of transit.
(4) Nothing in the
foregoing provisions of this section shall affect the liability of
any person to pay any demurrage or wharfage, as the case may be, for
so long as the consignment is not unloaded from the railway wagons
or removed from the railway premises.
100. Responsibility as
carrier of luggage.
A railway administration shall
not be responsible for the loss, destruction, damage, deterioration
or non-delivery of any luggage unless a railway servant has booked
the luggage and given a receipt therefor and in the case of luggage
which is carried by the passenger in his charge unless it is also
proved that the loss, destruction, damage or deterioration was due
to the negligence or misconduct on its part or on the part of any of
its servants.
101. Responsibility as a
carrier of animals.
A railway administration shall
not be responsible for any loss or destruction of, or injuries to,
any animal carried by railway arising from fright or restiveness of
the animal or from overloading of wagons by the
consignor.
102. Exoneration from
liability in certain cases.
Notwithstanding anything
contained in the foregoing provisions of this Chapter, a railway
administration shall not be responsible for the loss, destruction,
damage, deterioration or non-delivery of any
consignment,-
(a) when such loss, destruction, damage, deterioration or
non-delivery is due to the fact that a materially false description
of the consignment is given in the statement delivered under
sub-section (1) of section 66, or,
(b) where a fraud has been
practised by the consignor or the consignee or the endorsee or by an
agent of the consignor, consignee or the endorsee; or
(c) where it is proved
by the railway administration to have been caused by, or to have
arisen from-
(i) improper loading or unloading by the consignor or the
consignee or the endorsee or by an agent of the consignor, consignee
or the endorsee.
(ii) riot, civil commotion, strike, lock-out stoppage or
restraint of labour from whatever cause arising whether partial or
general; or
(d) for any indirect or consequential loss or damage or for
loss of particular market.
103. Extent of monetary
liability in respect of any consignment.
(1) Where any
consignment is entrusted to a railway administration for carriage by
railway and the value of such consignment has not been declared as
required under sub-section (2) by the consignor, the amount of
liability of the railway administration for the, loss, destruction,
damage, deterioration or non-delivery of the consignment shall in no
case exceed such amount calculated with reference to the weight of
the consignment as may be-prescribed, and where such consignment
consists of an animal, the liability shall not exceed such amount as
may be prescribed.
(2) Notwithstanding anything
contained in sub-section (1) where the consignor declares the value
of any consignment at the time of its entrustment to a railway
administration for carnage by railway, and pays such percentage
charge as may be prescribed on so much of the value of such
consignment as is in excess of the liability of the railway
administration as calculated or specified, as the case may be, under
sub-section (1), the liability of the railway administration for the
loss, destruction, damage, deterioration or non-delivery of such
consignment shall not exceed the value so declared.
(3) The Central
Government may, from time to time, by notification, direct that
such, goods as may be specified in the notification shall not be
accepted for carriage by railway unless the value of such goods is
declared and percentage charge is paid as, required under
sub-section (2).
104. Extent of liability
in respect of goods carried in open wagon.
Where any goods, which,
under ordinary circumstances would be carried in covered wagon and
would be liable to damage, if carried otherwise, are with the
consent of the consignor, recorded in the forwarding note, carried
in open wagon, the responsibility of railway administration for
destruction, damage or deterioration which may arise only by reason
of the goods being so carried, shall be one-half of the amount of
liability for such destruction, damage or deterioration determined
under this Chapter.
105. Right, of railway
administration to cheek contents of certain consignment or
luggage.
Where the value has been declared under section 103 in
respect of any consignment a railway administration may make it a
condition of tarrying such consignment that a railway servant
authorised by it in this behalf has been satisfied by examination or
otherwise that the consignment tendered for carriage contain the
articles declared.
106. Notice of claim for
compensation and refund of over charge.
(1) A person shall not
be entitled to claim compensation against a railway administration
for the loss, destruction, damage, deterioration or non-delivery of
goods carried by railway, unless a notice thereof is served by him
or on his behalf,-
(a) to the railway administration
to which the goods are entrusted for carriage; or
(b) to the railway
administration on whose railway the destination station lies, or the
loss, destruction, damage or deterioration
occurs,
within a period of six months from the date of entrustment
of the goods.
(2) Any information demanded or enquiry made in writing
from, or any complaint made in writing to, any of the railway
administrations mentioned in sub-section (1) by or on behalf of the
person within the said period of six months regarding the
non-delivery or delayed delivery of the goods with particulars
sufficient to identify the goods shall, for the purpose, of this
section, be deemed. to be a notice of claim for
compensation.
(3) A person shall not be entitled to a refund of an
overcharge in respect of goods carried by railway unless a notice
therefor has been served by him or on his behalf to the railway
administration to which the overcharge has been paid within six
months from the date of such payment or the date of delivery of such
goods at the destination station, whichever is
later.
107. Applications for
compensation for loss, etc., of goods.
An Application for compensation
for loss, destruction, damage, deterioration or non-delivery of
goods shall be filed against the railway administration on whom a
notice under section 106 has been served.
108. Person entitled to
claim compensation.
(1) If a railway administration
pays compensation for the loss, destruction, damage, deterioration
or non-delivery of goods entrusted to it for carriage, to the
consignee or the endorsee producing the railway receipt the railway
administration shall be deemed to have discharged its liability and
no application before the Claims Tribunal or any other legal
proceeding shall lie against the railway administration on the
ground that the consignee or the endorsee was not legally entitled
to receive such compensation.
(2) Nothing in sub-section (1)
shall affect the right of any person having any interest in the
goods to enforce the same against the consignee or the endorsee
receiving compensation under that sub-section.
109. Railway
administration against which application for the compensation for
personal injury is to be filed.
An. application before the Claims
Tribunal for compensation for the loss of life or personal injury to
a passenger, may be instituted against,-
(a) the railway administration
from which the passenger obtained his pass or purchased his ticket,
or
(b)
the railway administration on whose railway the destination station
lies or the loss or personal injury occurred.
110. Burden of
proof.
In an application before the Claims Tribunal for
compensation for less, destruction or non-delivery of any goods, the
burden of proving-
(a) the monetary loss actually
sustained; or
(b) where the value has been declared under sub-section (2)
of section 103 in respect of any consignment that the value so
declared is its true value,
shall lie on the person claiming
compensation, but subject to the other provisions contained in this
Act, it shall not be necessary for him to prove how the loss,
destruction, damage, deterioration or non-delivery was
caused.
111. Extent of liability
of railway administration in respect of accidents at
sea.
(1) When a railway administration contracts to carry
passengers or goods partly by railway and partly by sea, a condition
exempting the railway administration from responsibility for any
loss of life, personal injury or loss of or damage to goods which
may happen during the carriage by sea from act of God, public
enemies, fire, accident from machinery, boilers and steam and all
and every other dangers and accidents of the seas, rivers and
navigation of whatever nature and kind shall, without being
expressed, be deemed to be part of the contract, and, subject to
that condition, the railway administration shall, irrespective of
the nationality or ownership of the ship used for the carriage by
sea, be responsible for any loss of life, personal injury or loss of
or damage to goods which,. may happen during the carriage by sea, to
the extent to which it would be responsible under the Merchant
Shipping Act, 1958 (44 of 1958), if the ships were registered under
that Act and the railway administration were owner of the ship and
not to any greater extent.
(2) The burden, of proving that
any such loss, injury or damage as is mentioned in sub-section (1)
happened during the carriage by sea shall lie on the railway
administration.
112. Power to make rules
in respect of matters in this Chapter.
(1) The Central Government may,
by notification, make rules to carry out the purposes of this
Chapter.
(2) In particular, and without prejudice to the generality
of the foregoing power, such rules may provide for all or any of the
following matters, namely:-
(a) the manner of packing of
goods entrusted to a railway administration under clause (b) of
sub-section (1) of section 98;
(b) the goods for the purposes of
sub-section (3) of section 99; and
(c) the maximum amount payable by
the railway administration for the loss, destruction, damage,
deterioration or non-delivery of any consignment under sub-section
(1) of section 103.
CHAPTER XII : ACCIDENT
113. Notice of railway
accident.
(1) Where, in the course of working a railway
(a) any accident
attended with loss of any human life, or with grievous hurt, as
defined in the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860), or with such serious
injury to property as may be prescribed; or
(b) any collision between trains
of which one is a train carrying passengers; or
(c) the derailment of
any train carrying passengers, or of any part of such train;
or
(d)
any accident of a description usually attended with loss of human
life or with such grievous hurt as aforesaid or with serious injury
to property; or
(e) any accident of any other description which the Central
Government may notify in this behalf in the Official
Gazette,
occurs, the station master of the station nearest to the
place at which the accident occurs or where there is no station
master, the railway servant in charge of the section of the railway
on which the accident occurs, shall, without delay, give notice of
the accident to the District Magistrate and Superintendent of
Police, within whose jurisdiction the accident occurs, the officer
in charge of the police station within the local limits of which the
accident occurs and to such other Magistrate or police officer as
may be appointed in this behalf by the Central
Government.
(2) The railway administration within whose jurisdiction the
accident occurs, as also the railway administration to whom the
train involved in the accident belongs, shall without delay, give
notice of the accident to the State Government and the Commissioner
having jurisdiction over the place of the
accident.
114. Inquiry by
Commissioner.
(1) On the receipt of notice
under section 113 of the occurrence of an accident to a train
carrying passengers resulting in loss of human life or grievous hurt
causing total or partial disablement of permanent nature to a
passenger or serious damage to railway property, the Commissioner
shall, as soon as may be, notify the railway administration in whose
jurisdiction the accident occurred of his intention to hold an
inquiry into the causes that led to the accident and shall at the
same time fix and communicate the date, time and place of inquiry
:
Provided that it shall be open to the Commissioner to hold
an inquiry into any other accident which, in his opinion, requires
the holding of such an inquiry.
(2) If for any reason, the
Commissioner is not able to hold an inquiry as soon as may he after
the occurrence of the accident, he shall notify the railway
administration accordingly.
115. Inquiry by railway
administration.
Where no inquiry is held by the
Commissioner under sub-sections (1) of section 114 or where the
Commissioner has informed the railway administration under
sub-section (2) of that section that he is not able to hold an
inquiry, the railway administration within whose jurisdiction the
accident occurs, shall cause an inquiry to be made in accordance
with the prescribed procedure.
116. Powers of
Commissioner in relation to inquiry.
(1) For the purpose of
conducting, an inquiry under this Chapter into the, causes of any
accident on a railway, the Commissioner shall, in addition to the
powers specified in section 7, have the powers as are vested in a
civil court while trying a suit under the Code of Civil Procedure,
1908 (5 of 1908), in respect of the following matters,
namely:-
(a) summoning and enforcing the attendance of persons and
examining them on oath ;
(b) requiring the discovery and
production of documents;
(c) receiving evidence on
affidavits;
(d) requisitioning any public record or copies thereof from
any court or office;
(e) any other matter which may be
prescribed.
(2) The Commissioner while conducting an inquiry under this
Chapter shall be deemed to be a Civil Court for the purposes of
section 195 and Chapter XXVI of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973
(2 of 1974).
117. Statement made
before Commissioner.
No statement made by a person in
the course of giving evidence in an inquiry before the Commissioner
shall subject him to, or be used against him in, any civil or
criminal proceeding, except a prosecution for giving false evidence
by such statement:
Provided that the statement
is-
(a)
made in reply to a question which is required by the Commissioner to
answer; or
(b) relevant to the subject-matter of the
inquiry.
118. Procedure,
etc.
Any railway administration or the Commissioner conducting an
inquiry under this Chapter may send notice of the inquiry, to such
persons, follow such procedure, and prepare the report in such
manner as may be prescribed.
119. No inquiry,
investigation, etc., to he made if the Commission of inquiry is
appointed.
Notwithstanding anything contained in the foregoing
provisions of this Chapter, where a Commission of Inquiry is
appointed under, the Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1952 (3 of 1952),
to inquire into an accident any inquiry, investigation or other
proceeding pending in relation toys that accident shall not be
proceeded with, and all records or other documents relating to such
inquiry shall be forwarded to such authority as may be specified by
the Central Government in this behalf.
120. Inquiry into
accident not covered by section 113.
Where any accident of the nature
not specified in section 113 occurs in the course of working a
railway, the railway administration within whose jurisdiction the
accident occurs, may cause such inquiry to be made into the causes
of the accident, as may be prescribed.
121.
Returns.
Every railway administration shall send to the Central
Government, a return of accidents occurring on its railway, whether
attended with injury to any person or not, in such form and manner
and at such intervals as may be prescribed.
122. Power to make rules
in respect of matters in this Chapter.
(1) The Central Government may,
by notification, make rules to carryout the purposes of this
Chapter.
(2) In particular, and without prejudice to the generality
of the foregoing power, such rules may provide for all or any of the
following matters, namely:-
(a) the injury to property which
shall be considered serious under clause (a) of sub-section (1) of
section 113;
(b) the forms of notice of accidents to be given under
section 113 and the particulars of the accident such notices shall
contain;
(c) the manner of sending the notices of accidents,
including the class of accidents to be sent immediately after the
accident;
(d) the duties of the Commissioner, railway administration,
railway servants, police officers and Magistrates on the occurrence
of an. accident;
(e) the persons to whom notices in respect of any inquiry
under this Chapter are to be sent, the procedure to be followed in
such inquiry and the manner in which a report of such inquiry shall
be prepared;
(f) the nature of inquiry to be made by a railway
administration into the causes of an accident under section
120;
(g)
the form and manner of sending a return of accidents by a railway
administration under section 121.
CHAPTER XIII : LIABILITY OF RAILWAY ADMINISTRATION FOR DEATH AND INJURY TO PASSENGERS DUE TO ACCIDENT
123.
Definitions.
In this Chapter, unless the
context otherwise requires,-
(a) "accident" means, an accident
of the nature described in section 124;
(b) "dependant" means any of the
following relatives of a deceased passenger, namely:-
(i) the wife, husband,
son and daughter, and in case the deceased passenger is unmarried,
or is a minor, his parent;
(ii) the parent, minor brother or
unmarried sister, widowed sister, widowed daughter-in-law and a
minor child of a pre-deceased son, it dependant wholly or partly on
the deceased passenger;
(iii) a minor child of a
predeceased daughter, if wholly dependant on the deceased
passenger;
(iv) the paternal grand parent wholly dependant on the
deceased passenger.
2[(c) "untoward incident"
means-
(1)(i) the commission of a terrorist act within the meaning
of sub-section (1) of section 3 of the Terrorist and Disruptive
Activities (Prevention) Act, 1987 (28 of 1987); or
(ii) the making of a
violent attack or the commission of robbery or dacoity;
or
(iii)
the indulging in rioting, shoot-out or arson,
by any person in or on
any train carrying passengers, or in a waiting hall, cloak room or
reservation or booking office or on any platform or in any other
place within the precincts of a railway station; or
(2) the accidental
falling of any passenger from a train carrying
passengers.]
124. Extent of
liability.
When in the course of working a railway, an accident occurs,
being either a collision between trains of which one is a train
carrying passengers or the derailment of or other accident to a
train or any part of a train carrying passengers, then whether or
not there has been any wrongful act, neglect or default on the part
of the railway administration such as would entitle a passenger who
has been injured or has suffered a loss to maintain an action and
recover damages in respect thereof, the railway administration
shall, notwithstanding anything contained in any other law, be
liable to pay compensation to such extent as may be prescribed and
to that extent only for loss occasioned by the death of passenger
dying as a result of such accident, and for personal injury and
loss, destruction, damage or deterioration of goods owned by the
passenger and accompanying him in his compartment or on the train,
sustained as a result of such accident.
Explanation.-For the, purposes of
this section "passenger" includes a railway servant on
duty.
Comment: Mr. Goswami, learned counsel appearing for the railway administration does not dispute that under the new Act, there is statutory liability on the railways but submits that the 1989 Act does not have any retrospective operation. We do not wish to go into that question in this case and leave that issue open. We are resting our case on the breach of common law duty of reasonable care, which lies upon all carriers including the railways. The standard of care is high and strict. It is not a case where the omission on the part of the railway officials can be said to be wholly unforeseen or beyond their control. Here there has been a complete dereliction of duty which resulted in a precious life been taken away, rendering the guarantee under Article 21 of the Constitution illusory. Had the deceased not pulled the alarm chain with a view to stop the train, the position might have been different. Liability in this case is fault based. Such a liability is not inconsistent with the scheme of the Railways Act of 1890 either (Refer Section 80 with advantage). P. A. Narayanan v. Union of India, AIR 1998 SUPREME COURT 1659
3[124A. Compensation on
account of untoward incidents.
When in the course of working a
railway an untoward incident occurs, then whether or not there has
been any wrongful act, neglect or default on the part of the railway
administration such as would entitle a passenger who has been
injured or the dependant of a passenger who has been killed to
maintain an action and recover damages in respect thereof, the
railway administration shall, notwithstanding anything contained in
any other law, be liable to pay compensation to such extent as may
be prescribed and to that extent only for loss occasioned by the
death of, or injury to, a passenger as a result of such untoward
incident.
Provided that no compensation shall be payable under this
section by the railway administration if the passenger dies or
suffers injury due to-
(a) suicide or attempted suicide
by him;
(b) self-inflicted injury;
(c) his own criminal
act;
(d)
any act committed by him in a state of intoxication or
insanity;
(e) any natural cause or disease or medical or surgical
treatment unless such treatment becomes necessary due to injury
caused by the said untoward incident.
Explanation.- For the purposes of
this section, "passenger" includes-
(i) a railway servant on duty;
and
(ii)
a person who has purchased a valid ticket for travelling, by a train
carrying passengers, on any date or a valid platform ticket and
becomes a victim of an untoward incident.]
125. Application for
compensation.
(1) An application for
compensation under section 124 4[or section 124A] may be made to the
Claims Tribunal
(a) by the person who has
sustained injury or suffered any loss, or
(b) by any agent duly authorised
by such person in this behalf, or
(c) where such person is a minor,
by his guardian, or
(d) where death has resulted from
the accident 5[or the untoward incident] by any dependant of the
deceased or where such a dependant is a minor, by his
guardian.
(2) Every application by a dependant for compensation under
this section shall be for the benefit of every other
dependant.
126. Interim relief by
railway administration.
(1) Where a person who has made
an application for compensation under section 125 desires to be paid
interim relief, he may apply to the railway administration for
payment of interim relief along with a copy of the application made
under that section.
(2) Where, on the receipt of an
application made under sub-section (1) and after making such inquiry
as it may deem fit, the railway administration is satisfied that
circumstances exist which requires relief to be afforded to the
applicant immediately, it may, pending determination by the Claims
Tribunal of the actual amount of compensation payable under section
124 4[or section 124A] pay to any person who has sustained the
injury or suffered any loss, or where death has resulted form the
accident, to any dependant of the deceased, such sum as it consider
reasonable for affording such relief, so however, that the sum paid
shall not exceed the amount of compensation payable at such rates as
may be prescribed.
(3) The railway administration
shall, as soon as may be, after making an order regarding payment of
interim relief under sub-section (2), send a copy thereof to the
Claims Tribunal.
(4) Any sum paid by the railway administration under
sub-section (2) shall be taken into account by the Claims Tribunal
while determining the amount of compensation
payable.
127. Determination of
compensation in respect of any injury or loss of
goods.
(1) Subject to such rules as may be made, the rates of
compensation payable in respect of any injury shall be determined by
the Claims Tribunal.
(2) The compensation payable in
respect of any loss of goods shall be such as the Claims Tribunal
may, having regard to the circumstances of the case, determine to be
reasonable.
128. Saying as to
certain rights.
(1) The right of any person to claim compensation under
section 124 6[or section 124A] shall not affect the right of any
such person to recover compensation payable under the Workmen's
Compensation Act 1923 (8 of 1923), or any other law for the time
being in force but no person shall be entitled to claim compensation
more than once in respect of. the same accident.
(2) Nothing in
sub-section (1) shall affect the right of any person to claim
compensation payable under any contract or scheme providing for
payment of compensation for death or personal injury or for damage
to property or any sum payable under any policy of
insurance.
129.Power to make rules
in respect of matters in this Chapter.
(1) The Central Government may,
by notification make rules to carry out the purposes of this
Chapter.
(2) In particular, and without prejudice to the generality
of the foregoing power, such rules may provide for all or any of the
following matters, namely :-
(a) the compensation payable for
death;
(b) the nature of the injuries for which compensation shall
be paid and the amount of such compensation.
CHAPTER XIV : REGULATION OF HOURS OF WORK AND PERIOD OF REST
130.
Definitions.
In this Chapter, unless the
context otherwise requires,-
(a) the employment of a railway
servant is said to be "continuous" except when it is excluded or has
been declared to be essentially intermittent or
intensive;
(b) the employment of a railway servant is said to be
"essentially intermittent" when it has been declared to be so by the
prescribed authority on the ground that the daily hours of duty of
the railway servant normally include periods of inaction aggregating
to fifty per cent. or more (including at least one such period of
not less than one hour or two such periods of not less than half an
hour each) in a tour of twelve hours duty (on the. average over
seventy-two consecutive hours), during which the railway servant may
be on duty, but is not called upon to display either physical
activity or sustained attention;
(c) the employment of a railway
servant is said to be "excluded" if he belongs to any one of the
following categories, namely:-
(i) railway servants employed in
a managerial or confidential capacity;
(ii) armed guards or other
personnel subject to discipline similar to that of any of the armed
police forces;
(iii) staff of the railway
schools imparting technical training or academic
education;
(iv) such staff as may be specified as supervisory under the
rules;
(v) such other categories of staff as may be
prescribed;
(d) the employment of a railway servant is said to be
"intensive" when it has been declared to be so by the prescribed
authority on the ground that it is of a strenuous nature involving
continued concentration or hard manual labour with little or no
period of relaxation.
131. Chapter not to
apply to certain railway servants.
Nothing in this Chapter shall
apply to any railway servant to whom the Factories Act, 1949 (63 of
1948) or the Mines Act, 1952 (35 of 1952) or the Railway Protection
Force Act, 1957 (23 of 1957) or the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958 (44
of 1958), applies.
132. Limitation of hours
of work.
(1) A railway servant whose; employment is essentially
intermittent shall not be employed for more than seventy-five hours
in any week.
(2) A railway servant whose employment is continuous shall
not be employed for more than fifty-four hours a week on an average
in a two wary period of fourteen days.
(3) A railway servant whose
employment is intensive shall not be employed for more than
forty-five hours a week on an average in a two weekly period of
fourteen days.
(4) Subject to such rules as may be prescribed, temporary
exemptions of railway servants from the provisions of sub-section
(1) or sub-section (2) or sub-section (3), may made by the
prescribed authority if it is of opinion that such temporary
exemptions are necessary to avoid serious interference with the
ordinary working of the railway or in cases of accident actual or
threatened, or when argent work is required to be done to the
railway or to rolling stock or in any emergency which could not have
been foreseen or prevented. or in other cases of exceptional
pressure of work:
Provided that where such exemption results in, the increase
of hours of employment of a railway servant referred to in any of
the sub-section, he shall be paid overtime at not less than two
times his ordinary rate of pay for the excess hour of
work.
133. Grant of periodical
rest.
(1) Subject to the provisions of this section, a railway
servant-
(a) whose employment is intensive or continuous shall, for
every week commencing on a Sunday, be granted a rest of not less
than thirty consecutive hours;
(b) whose employment is
essentially intermittent shall for every week commencing on a
Sunday, be granted a rest of not less than twenty-four consecutive
hours including a full night.
(2) Notwithstanding anything
contained in sub-section (1),-
(i) any locomotive or traffic
running staff shall be granted, each mouth, a rest of at least four
periods of not less than thirty consecutive hours each or at least
five periods of not less than twenty-two consecutive hours each,
including a full night;
(ii) the Central Government may,
by rules, specify the railway servants to whom periods of rest on
scales less than those laid down under sub-section (1) may be
granted and the periods thereof.
(3) Subject to such rules as may
be made in this behalf, if the prescribed authority is of the
opinion that such circumstances as are referred to in sub-section
(4) of section 132 are present it may exempt any railway servant
from the provisions of sub-section (1) or clause (i) of sub-section
(2):
Provided that a railway servant so exempted shall, in such
circumstances as may be prescribed, be granted compensatory periods
of rest for the periods he has foregone.
134. Railway servant to
remain on duty.
Nothing in this Chapter or the
rules made thereunder shall, where due provision has been made for
the relief of a railway servant, authorise him to leave his duty
until he has been relieved.
135. Supervisors of
railway labour.
(1) Subject to such rules as may
made in this behalf, the Central Government may appoint supervisors
of railway labour.
(2) The duties of supervisors of
railway labour shall be-
(i) to inspect railways in order
to determine whether the provisions of this Chapter or of the rules
made thereunder are duly observed; and
(ii) to perform such other
functions as may be prescribed.
(3) A supervisor of railway
labour shall be deemed to be a Commissioner for the purposes of
sections 7 and 9.
136. Power to make rules
in respect of matters in this Chapter.
(1) The Central Government may,
by notification, make rules to carry out the purposes of this
Chapter.
(2) In particular, and without prejudice to the generality
of the foregoing power, such rules may provide for all or any of the
following matters, namely :-
(a) the authorities who may
declare the employment of any railway servant essentially
intermittent or intensive ;
(b) the appeals against any such
declaration and the manner in which, and the conditions subject to
which any such appeal may be filed and heard ;
(c) the categories of
staff that may be specified under sub-clauses (iv) and (v) of clause
(c) of section 130 ;
(d) the authorities by whom
exemptions under sub-section (4) of section 132 or sub-section (3)
of section 133 may be made;
(e) the delegation of power by
the authorities referred to in clause (d);
(f) the railway servants to whom
clause (ii) of sub-section (2) of section 133 apply and the periods
of rest to be granted to them;
(g) the appointment of
supervisors of railway labour and their
functions.
CHAPTER XV : PENALTIES AND OFFENCES
137. Fraudulently
travelling or attempting to travel without proper pass or
ticket.
(1) If any person, with intent to defraud a railway
administration,-
(a) enters or remains in any carriage on a railway or
travels in train in contravention of section 55, or
(b) uses or attempts to
use a single pass or a single ticket which has already been used on
a previous journey, or in the case of a return ticket, a half
thereof which has already been so used.
he shall be punishable with
imprisonment for a term which may extend of six months, or with fine
which may extend to one thousand rupees, or with both:
Provided that in the
absence of special and adequate reasons to the contrary to be
mentioned in the judgment of the court, such punishment shall not be
less than a fine of five hundred rupees.
(2) The person referred
to in sub-section (1) shall also be liable to pay the excess charge
mentioned in sub-section (3) in addition to the ordinary single fare
for the distance which he has travelled, or where there is any doubt
as to the station from which he started, the ordinary single fare
from the station from which the train originally started, or if the
tickets of passengers travelling in the train have been examined
since the original starting of the train, the ordinary single fare
from the place where the tickets were so examined or, in case of
their having been examined more than once, were last
examined.
(3) The excess charge referred to in sub-section (2) shall
be a sum equal to the ordinary single fare referred to in that
sub-section or fifty rupees, whichever is more.
(4) Notwithstanding
anything contained in section 65 of the Indian Penal Code (45 of
1860), the court convicting an offender may direct that the person
in default of payment of any fine inflicted by the court shall
suffer imprisonment for a term which may extend to six
months.
138. Levy of excess
charge and fare for travelling without proper pass or ticket or
beyond authorised distance.
(1) If any
passenger,-
(a) being in or having alighted from a train, fails or
refuses to present for examination or to deliver up his pass or
ticket immediately on a demand being made therefor under section 54,
or
(b)
travels in a train in contravention of the provisions of section
55,
he
shall be liable to pay, on the demand of any railway servant
authorised in this behalf, the excess charge mentioned in
sub-section (3) in addition to the ordinary single fare for the
distance which he has travelled or, where there is any doubt as to
the station from which he started, the ordinary single fare from the
station from which the train originally started, or, if the tickets
of passengers travelling in the train have been examined since the
original starting of the train, the ordinary single fare from the
place where the tickets were so examined or in the case of their
having been examined more than once, were last
examined.
(2) If any passenger,-
(a) travels or attempts to travel
in or on a carriage, or by a train, of a higher class than that for
which he has obtained a pass or purchased a ticket ;
or
(b)
travels in or on a carriage beyond the place authorised by his pass
or ticket,
he shall be liable to pay, on the demand of any railway
servant authorised in this behalf, any difference between the fare
paid by him and the fare payable in respect of the journey he has
made and the excess charge referred to in sub-section
(3).
(3) The excess charge shall be a sum equal to the amount
payable under sub-section (1) or sub-section (2), as the case may
be, or fifty rupees, whichever is more :
Provided that if the passenger
has with him a certificate granted under sub-section (2) of section
55, no excess charge shall be payable.
(4) If any passenger liable to
pay the excess charge and the fare mentioned in sub-section (1), or
the excess charge and any difference of fare mentioned in
sub-section (2), fails or refuses to pay the same on a demand being
made therefor under one or other of these sub-sections, as the case
may be, any railway servant authorised by the railway administration
in this behalf may apply to any Metropolitan Magistrate or a
Judicial Magistrate of the first or second class, as the case may
be, for the recovery of the sum payable as if it were a fine, and
the Magistrate if satisfied that the sum is payable shall order it
to be so recovered, and may order that the person liable for the
payment shall in default of payment suffer imprisonment of either
description for a term which may extend to one month but not less
than ten days.
(5) Any sum recovered under sub-section (4) shall, as and
when it is recovered, be paid to the railway
administration.
139. Power to remove
persons.
Any person failing or refusing to pay the fare and the
excess charge referred to in section 138 may be removed by any
railway servant authorised in this behalf who may call to his aid
any other person to effect such removal :
Provided that nothing in this
section shall be deemed to preclude a person removed from a carriage
of a higher class from continuing his journey in a carriage of a
class for which he holds a pass or ticket :
Provided further that a woman or
a child if unaccompanied by a male passenger, shall not be so
removed except either at the station from where she or he commences
her or his journey or at a junction or terminal station or station
at the headquarters of a civil district and such removal shall be
made only during the day.
140. Security for good
behaviour in certain cases.
(1) When a court convicting a
person of an offence under section 137 or section 138 finds that he
has been habitually committing or attempting to commit that offence
and the court is of the opinion that it is necessary or desirable to
require that person to execute a bond for good behaviour, such court
may, at the time of passing the sentence on the person, order him to
execute a bond with or without sureties, for such amount and for
such period not exceeding three years as it deems fit.
(2) An order under
sub-section (1) may also be made by an appellate court or by the
High Court when exercising its powers of
revision.
141. Needlessly
interfering with means of communication in a train.
If any passenger or any
other person, without reasonable and sufficient cause, makes use of,
or interferes with, any means provided by a railway administration
in a train for communication between passengers and the railway
servant in charge of the train, he shall be punishable with
imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine
which may extend to one thousand rupees, or with both
:
Provided that, in the absence of special and adequate
reasons to the contrary to be mentioned in the judgment of the
court, where a passenger, without reasonable and sufficient cause,
makes use of the alarm chain provided by a railway administration,
such punishment shall not be less than-
(a) a fine of five
hundred rupees, in the case of conviction for the first offence ;
and
(b)
imprisonment for three months in the case of conviction for the
second or subsequent offence.
142. Penalty for
transfer of tickets.
(1) If any person not being a
railway servant or an agent authorised in this behalf-
(a) sells or attempts
to sell any ticket or any half of a return ticket; or
(b) parts or attempts
to part with the possession of a return ticket against which
reservation of a seat or berth has been made or any half of a return
ticket or a season ticket,
in order to enable any other
person to travel therewith, he shall be punishable with imprisonment
for a term which may extend to three months, or with fine which may
extend to five hundred rupees, or with both, and shall also forfeit
the ticket which he sells or attempts to sell or parts or attempts
to part.
(2) If any person purchases any ticket referred to in clause
(a) of sub-section (1) or obtains the possession of any tickets
referred to in clause (b) of that sub-section from any person other
than a railway servant or an agent authorised in this behalf, he
shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to
three months and with fine which may extend to five hundred rupees
and if the purchaser or holder of any ticket aforesaid travels or
attempts to travel therewith, he shall forfeit the ticket which he
so purchased or obtained and shall be deemed to be travelling
without a proper ticket and shall be liable to be dealt with under
section 138 :
Provided that in the absence of special and adequate reasons
to the contrary to be mentioned in the judgment of the court, the
punishment under sub-section (1) or sub-section (2) shall not be
less than a fine of two hundred and fifty
rupees.
143. Penalty for
unauthorised carrying on of business of procuring and supplying of
railway tickets.
(1) If any person, not being a railway servant or an agent
authorised in this behalf,-
(a) carries on the business of
procuring and supplying tickets for travel on a railway or for
reserved accommodation for journey in a train; or
(b) purchases or sells
or attempts to purchase or sell tickets with a view to carrying on
any such business either by himself or by any other
person,
he shall be punishable with imprisonment for a terms which
may extend to three years or with fine which may extend to ten
thousand rupees, or with both, and shall also forfeit the tickets
which he so procures, supplies, purchases, sells or attempts to
purchase or sell :
Provided that in the absence of
special and adequate reasons to the contrary to be mentioned in the
judgement of the court, such punishment shall not be less than
imprisonment for a term of one month or a fine of five thousand
rupees.
(2) Whoever abets any offence punishable under this section
shall, whether or not such offence is committed, be punishable with
the same punishment as is provided for the
offence.
144. Prohibition on
hawking, etc., and begging.
(1) If any person canvasses for
any custom or hawks or exposes for sale any article whatsoever in
any railway carriage or upon any part of a railway, except under and
in accordance with the terms and conditions of a licence granted by
the railway administration in this behalf, he shall be punishable
with imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year, or with
fine which may extend to two thousand rupees, or with both
:
Provided that, in the absence of special and adequate
reasons to the contrary to be mentioned in the judgment of the
court, such punishment shall not be less than a fine of one thousand
rupees.
(2) If any person begs in any railway carriage or upon a
railway station, he shall be liable for punishment as provided under
sub-section (1).
(3) Any person referred to in sub-section (1) or sub-section
(2) may be removed from the railway carriage or any part of the
railway or railway station, as the case may be, by any railway
servant authorised in this behalf or by any other person whom such
railway servant may call to his aid.
145. Drunkenness or
nuisance.
If any person in any railway carriage or upon any part of a
railway-
(a) is in a state of intoxication; or
(b) commits any
nuisance or act of indecency or uses abusive or obscene language;
or
(c)
wilfully or without excuse interferes with any amenity provided by
the railway administration so as to affect the comfortable travel of
any passenger,
he may be removed form the railway by any railway servant
and shall, in addition to the forfeiture of his pass or ticket, b e
punishable with imprisonment which may extend so six months and with
fine which may extend to five hundred rupees :
Provided that in the
absence of special and adequate reason to the contrary to be
mentioned in the judgment of the court, such punishment shall not be
less than-
(a) a fine of one hundred rupees in the case of conviction
for the first offence; and
(b) imprisonment of one month and
a fine of two hundred and fifty rupees, in the case of conviction
for second or subsequent offence.
146. Obstructing railway
servant in his duties.
If any person wilfully obsturct5s
or prevents any railway servant in the discharge of his duties, he
shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to
six months, or with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees, or
with both.
147. Trespass and
refusal to desist from trespass.
(1) If any person enters upon or
into any part of a railway without lawful authority, or having
lawfully entered upon or into such part misuses such property or
refuses to leave, he shall be punishable with imprisonment for a
term which may extend to six months, or with fine which may extend
to one thousand rupees, or with both :
Provided that in the absence of
special and adequate reasons to the contrary to be mentioned in the
judgment of the court, such punishment shall not be less than a fine
of five hundred rupees.
(2) Any person referred to in
sub-section (1) may be removed from the railway by any railway
servant or by any other person whom such railway servant may call to
his aid.
148. Penalty for making
a false statement in an application for compensation.
If in any application
for compensation under section 125, any person makes statement which
is false or which he knows or believes to be false or does not
believe to be true, he shall be punishable with imprisonment for a
term which may extend to three years, or with fine, or with
both.
149. Making a false
claim for compensation.
If any person requiring
compensation from a railway administration for loss, destruction,
damage, deterioration or non-delivery of any consignment makes a
claim which is false or which he knows or believes to be false or
does not believes to be true, he shall be punishable with
imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years, or with
fine, or with both.
150. Maliciously
wrecking or attempting to wreck a train.
(1) Subject to the provisions of
sub-section (2) if any person unlawfully,-
(a) puts of throws upon or across
any railways, any wood, stone or other matter or thing;
or
(b)
takes up, removes, loosens or displaces any rail, sleeper or other
matter or things belonging to any railway; or
(c) turns, moves,
unlocks or diverts any points or other machinery belonging to any
railway; or
(d) makes or shows, or hides or removes, any signal or light
upon or near to any railway; or
(e) does or causes to be done or
attempts to do any other act or thing in relation to any
railway,
with intent or with knowledge that he is likely to endanger
the safety of any person travelling on or being upon the railway, he
shall be punishable with imprisonment for life, or with rigorous
imprisonment for a term which may extend to ten years:
Provided that in the
absence of special and adequate reasons to the contrary to be
mentioned in the judgment of the court, where a person is punishable
with rigorous imprisonment, such imprisonment shall not be less
than-
(a) three years, in the case of a conviction for the first
offence; and
(b) seven years, in the case of conviction for the second or
subsequent offence.
(2) If any person unlawfully does
any act or thing referred to in any of the clauses of sub-section
(1) –
(a)
with intent to cause the death of any person and the doing of such
act or thing cause the death of any person; or
(b) with knowledge that
such act or thing is so imminently dangerous that it must in all
probability cause the death of any person or such bodily injury to
any person as is likely to cause the death of such
person,
he shall be punishable with death or imprisonment for
life.
151. Damage to or
destruction of certain railway properties.
(1) If any person, with
intent to cause, or knowing that he is likely to cause damage or
destruction to any property of a railway referred to in sub-section
(2), causes by fire, explosive substance or otherwise, damage to
such property or destruction of such property, he shall be
punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to five
years, or with fine, or with both.
(2) The properties of a railway
referred to in sub-section (1) are railway track, bridges, station
buildings and installations, carriages or wagons, locomotives,
signalling, telecommunications, electric traction and block
equipments and such other properties as the Central Government being
of the opinion that damage thereto or destruction thereof is likely
to endanger the operation of a railway, may, by notification,
specify.
152. Maliciously hurting
or attempting to hurt persons travelling by railway.
If any person
unlawfully throws or causes to fall or strike at against, into or
upon any rolling stock forming part of a train, any wood, stone or
other matter or thing with intent, or with knowledge that he is
likely to endanger the safety of any person being in or upon such
rolling stock or in or upon any other rolling stock forming part of
the same train, he shall be punishable with imprisonment for life,
or with imprisonment for a term which may extend to ten
years.
153. Endangering safety
of persons travelling by railway by wilful act or
omission.
If any persons by any unlawful act or by any wilful omission
or neglect, endangers or causes to be endangered the safety of any
person travelling on or being upon any railway, or obstructs or
causes to be obstructed or attempts to obstruct any rolling stock
upon any railway, he shall be punishable with imprisonment for a
term which may extend to five years.
154. Endangering safety
of persons travelling by railway rash or negligent act or
omission.
If any person in a rash and negligent manner does any act,
or omit to do what he is legally bound to do, and the act or
omission is likely to endanger the safety of any person travelling
or being upon any railway, he shall be punishable with imprisonment
for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine, or with
both.
155. Entering into
compartment reserved or resisting entry into a compartment not
reserved.
(1) If any passenger-
(a) having entered a compartment
wherein no berth or seat has been reserved by a railway
administration for his use, or
(b) having unauthorisedly
occupied a berth or seat reserved by a railway administration for
the use of another passenger,
refuses to leave it when required
to do so by any railway servant authorised in this behalf, such
railway servant may remove him or cause him to be removed, with the
aid of any other person, from the compartment, berth or seat, as the
case may be, and he shall also be punishable with fine which may
extend to five hundred rupees.
(2) If any passenger resists the
lawful entry of another passenger into a compartment not reserved
for the use of the passenger resisting, he shall be punishable with
fine which may extend to two hundred rupees.
156. Travelling on roof,
step or engine of a train.
If any passenger or any other
person, after being warned by a railway servant to desist, persists
in travelling on the rood, step or footboard of any carriage or on
an engine, or in any other part of a train not intended for the use
of passengers, he shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term
which may extend to three months, or with fine which imprisonment
for a term which may extend to three months, or with fine which may
extend to five hundred rupees, or with both and may be removed from
the railway by any railway servant.
157. Altering or
defacing pass or ticket.
If any passengers wilfully alters
or defaces his pass or ticket so as to render the date, number or
any material portion thereof illegible, he shall be punishable with
imprisonment for a term which may extend to three months, or with
fine which may extend to five hundred rupees, or with
both.
158. Penalty for
contravention of any of the provision of Chapter XIV.
Any person under whose
authority any railway servant is employed in contravention of any of
the provisions of Chapter XIV or of the rules made thereunder shall
be punishable with fine which may extend to five hundred
rupees.
159. Disobedience of
drivers or conductors of vehicles to directions of railway servant,
etc.
If
any driver or conductor of any vehicle while upon the premises of a
railway disobeys the reasonable directions of any railway servant or
police officer, he shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term
which may extend to one month, or with fine which may extend to five
hundred rupees, or with both.
160. Opening or breaking
a level crossing gate.
(1) If any person, other than a
railway servant or a person authorised in this behalf, opens any
gate or chain or barrier set up on either side of a level crossing
which is closed to road traffic, he shall be punishable with
imprisonment for a term which may extend to three
years.
(2) If any person breaks any gate or chain or barrier set up
on either side of a level crossing which is closed to road traffic,
he shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend
to five years.
161. Negligently
crossing unmanned level crossing.
If any person driving or leading
a vehicle is negligent in crossing an unmanned level crossing, he
shall be punishable with imprisonment which may extend to one
year.
Explanation.- For the
purposes of this section, "negligence" in relation to any person
driving or leading a vehicle in crossing an unmanned level crossing
means the crossing of such level crossing by such
person-
(a) without stopping or caring to stop the vehicle near such
level crossing to observe whether any approaching rolling stock is
in sight, or
(b) even while an approaching rolling stock is in
sight.
162. Entering carriage
or other place reserved for females.
If a male person knowing or
having reason to believe that, a carriage, compartment, berth or
seat in a train or room or other place is reserved by a railway
administration for the exclusive use of females, without lawful
excuse,-
(a) enters such carriage, compartment, room or other place,
or having entered such carriage, compartment, room or place, remains
therein; or
(b) occupies any such berth or seat having been required by
any railway servant to vacate it,
he shall, in addition to being
liable to forfeiture of his pass or ticket, be punishable with fine
which may extend to five hundred rupees and may also be removed by
any railway servant.
163. Giving false
account of goods.
If any person required to furnish an account of goods under
section 66, gives an account which is materially false, he and, if
he is not the owner of the goods, the owner also shall, without
prejudice to his liability to pay any freight or other charge under
any provision of this Act, be punishable with fine which may extend
to five hundred rupees for every quintal or part thereof of such
goods.
164. Unlawfully bringing
dangerous goods on a railway.
If any person, in contravention
of section 67, takes with him any dangerous goods or entrusts such
goods for carriage to the railway administration, he shall be
punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three
years, or with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees or with
both and shall also be liable for any loss, injury or damage which
may be caused by reason of bringing such goods on the
railway.
165. Unlawfully bringing
offensive goods on a railway.
If any person, in contravention
of section 67, takes with him any offensive goods or entrusts such
goods for carriage to the railway administration, he shall be
punishable with fine which may extend to five hundred rupees and
shall also be liable for any loss, injury or damage which may be
caused by reason of bringing such goods on the
railway.
166. Defacing public
notices.
If any person without lawful authority-
(a) pulls down or
wilfully damage any board or document set up or posted by the order
of a railway administration on a railway or any rolling stock;
or
(b) obliterates or alters any letters or figures upon any
such board or document or upon any rolling stock,
he shall be punishable
with imprisonment for a term which may extend to one month, or with
fine which may extend to five hundred rupees, or with
both.
167.
Smoking.
(1) No person in any compartment of a train shall, if
objected to by any other passenger in that compartment, smoke
therein.
(2) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (1), a
railway administration may prohibit smoking in any train or part of
a train.
(3) Whosoever contravenes the provisions of sub-section (1)
or sub-section (2) shall be punishable with fine which may extend to
one hundred rupees.
168. Provision with
respect to commission of offence by the children of acts endangering
safety of person travelling on railway.
(1) If a person under the age of
twelve years is guilty of any of the offences under sections 150 to
154, the court convicting him may require the father or guardian of
such person to execute, within such time as the court may fix, a
bond for such amount and for such period as the court may direct for
the good conduct of such person.
(2) The amount of the bond, if
forfeited, shall be recoverable by the court as if it were a fine
imposed by itself.
(3) If a father or guardian fails
to execute a bond under sub-section (1) within the time fixed by the
court, he shall be punishable with fine which may extend to fifty
rupees.
169. Levy of penalty on
non-Government railway.
If a non-Government railway fails
to comply with, any requisition made, decision or direction given,
by the Central Government, under any of the provisions of this Act,
or otherwise contravenes any of the provisions of this Act, it shall
be open to the Central Government, by order, to levy a penalty not
exceeding two hundred and fifty rupees and a further penalty not
exceeding one hundred and fifty rupees for every day during which
the contravention continues :
Provided that no such penalty
shall be levied except after giving a reasonable opportunity to the
non-Government railway to make such representation as it deems
fit.
170. Recovery of
penalty.
Any penalty imposed by the Central Government from under
section 169, shall be recoverable by a suit in the District Court
having jurisdiction in the place where the head office of the
non-Government railway is situated.
171. Section 169 or 170
not to preclude Central Government from taking any other
action.
Nothing in section 169 or 170 shall preclude the Central
Government from resorting to any other action to compel a
non-Government railway to discharge any obligation imposed upon it
by or under this Act.
172. Penalty for
intoxication.
If any railway servant is in a state of intoxication while
on duty, he shall be punishable with fine which may extend to five
hundred rupees and when the performance of any duty in such state is
likely to endanger the safety of any person travelling on or being
upon a railway, such railway servant shall be punishable with
imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine,
or with both.
173. Abandoning train,
etc., without authority.
If any railway servant, when on
duty, is entrusted with any responsibility connected with the
running of a train, or of any other rolling stock from one station
or place to another station or place, and he abandons his duty
before reaching such station or place without authority or without
properly handing over such train or rolling stock to another
authorised railway servant, he shall be punishable with imprisonment
for a term which may extend to two year, or with fine which may
extend to one thousand rupees, or with both.
174. Obstructing running
of train, etc.
If any railway servant (whether on duty or otherwise) or any
other person obstructs or causes to be obstructed or attempts to
obstruct any train or other rolling stock upon a
railway,-
(a) by squatting or picketing or during any Rail roko
agitation or bandh; or
(b) by keeping without authority
any rolling stock on the railway; or
(c) by tempering with,
disconnecting or interfering in any other manner with its hose pipe
or tampering with signal gear or otherwise,
he shall be punishable with
imprisonment for a term which may extend to two year, or with fine
which may extend to two thousand rupees, or with
both.
175. Endangering the
safety of persons.
If any railway servant, when on
duty, endangers the safety of any person-
(a) by disobeying any
rule made under this Act; or
(b) by disobeying any
instruction, direction or order under this Act or the rules made
thereunder; or
(c) by any rash or negligent act or omission,
he shall be punishable
with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years, or with
fine which may extend to one thousand rupees, or with
both.
176. Obstructing level
crossing.
If any railway servant unnecessarily-
(a) allows any rolling
stock to stand across a place where the railway crosses a public
road on the level : or
(b) keeps a level crossing closed
against the public,
he shall be punishable with fine
which may extend to one hundred rupees.
177. False
returns.
If any railway servant required to furnish a return by or
under this Act, signs and furnishes a return which is false in any
material particular or which he knows or believes to be false, or
does not believe to be true, he shall be punishable with
imprisonment which may extend to one year, or with fine which may
extend to five hundred rupees, or with both.
178. Making a false
report by a railway servant.
If any railway servant who is
required by a railway administration to inquire into a claim for
loss, destruction, damage, deterioration or non-delivery of any
consignment makes a report which is false or which he knows or
believes to be false or does not believe to be true, he shall be
punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two
years, or with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees, or with
both.
179. Arrest for offences
under certain sections.
(1) If a person commits any
offence mentioned in sections 137, 141 to 147, 150 to 157, 160 to
162, 164, 166, 168 and 172 to 175, he may be arrested without
warrant or other written authority by any railway servant or police
officer not below the rank of a head constable.
(2) The railway servant
or the police officer may call to his aid any other person to effect
the arrest under sub-section (1).
(3) Any person so arrested under
this section shall be produced before the nearest Magistrate within
a period of twenty-four hours of such arrest excluding the time
necessary for the journey from the place of arrest to the court of
the Magistrate.
180. Arrest of persons
likely to abscond, etc.
(1) If any person who commits any
offence under this Act, other than an offence mentioned in section
179, or is liable to pay any excess charge or other sum demanded
under section 138, fails or refuses to give his name and address or
there is reason to believe that the name and address given by him
are fictitious or that he will abscond, any railway servant
authorised in this behalf or any police officer not below the rank
of a head constable may arrest him without warrant or written
authority.
(2) The railway servant or the police officer may call to
his aid any other person to effect the arrest under sub-section
(1).
(3)
Any person arrested under this section shall be produced before the
nearest Magistrate within a period of twenty-four hours of such
arrest excluding the time necessary for the journey from the place
of arrest to the court of the Magistrate unless he is released
earlier on giving bail or if his true name and address are
ascertained on executing a bond without sureties for his appearance
before the Magistrate having jurisdiction to try him for the
offence.
(4) The provisions of Chapter XXIII of the Code of Criminal
Procedure, 1973 (2 of 1974), shall so far as may be, apply to the
giving of bail and the execution of bonds under this
section.
181. Magistrate having jurisdiction under the
Act.
Notwithstanding anything contained in the Code of Criminal
Procedure, 1973 (2 of 1974), no court inferior to that of a
Metropolitan Magistrate or a Judicial Magistrate of the first class
shall try an offence under this Act.
182. Place of
trial.
(1) Any person committing an offence under this Act or any
rule made thereunder shall be triable for such offence in any place
in which he may be or which the State Government may notify in this
behalf, as well as in any other place in which he is liable to be
tried under any law for the time being in force.
(2) Every notification
under sub-section (1) shall be published in the Official Gazette,
and a copy thereof shall be exhibited for the information of the
public in some conspicuous place at such railway stations as the
State Government may direct.
CHAPTER XVI : MISCELLANEOUS
183. Power to provide
other transport services.
(1) A railway administration may,
for the purpose of facilitating the carriage of passengers or goods
or to provide integrated service for such carriage, provide any
other mode of transport.
(2) Notwithstanding anything
contained in any other law for the time being in force, the
provisions of this Act shall apply to the carriage of passengers or
goods by the mode of transport referred to in sub-section
(1).
184.
Taxation on railways by local authorities.
(1) Notwithstanding anything to
the contrary contained in any other law, a railway administration
shall not be liable to pay any tax in aid of the funds of any local
authority unless the Central Government, by notification, declares
the railway administration to be liable to pay the tax specified in
such notification.
(2) While a notification of the
Central Government under sub-section (1) is in force, the railway
administration shall be liable to pay to the local authority either
the tax specified in the notification or, in lieu thereof, such sum,
if any, as an officer appointed in this behalf by the Central
Government may, having regard to all the circumstances of the case,
from time to time, determine to be fair and
reasonable.
(3) The Central Government may at any time revoke or very a
notification issued under sub-section (1).
(4) Nothing in this section shall
be construed to prevent any railway administration from entering
into a contract with any local authority for the supply of water or
light, or for the scavenging of railway premises, or for any other
service which the local authority may be rendering or be prepared to
render to the railway administration.
185. Taxation on
railways for advertisement.
(1) Notwithstanding anything to
the contrary contained in any other law, a railway administration
shall not be liable to pay any tax to any local authority in respect
of any advertisement made on any part of the railway unless the
Central Government, by notification, declares the railway
administration to be liable to pay the tax specified in such
notification.
(2) The Central Government may at any time revoke or very a
notification issued under sub-section (1).
186. Protection of
action taken in good faith.
No suit, prosecution or other
legal proceeding shall lie against the Central Government, any
railway administration, a railway servant or any other person for
anything which is in good faith done or intended to be done in
pursuance of this Act or any rules or orders made
thereunder.
187. Restriction on
execution against railway property.
(1) No rolling stock, machinery,
plant, tools, fittings, materials or effects used or provided by a
railway administration for the purpose of traffic on its railway, or
of its stations or workshops, shall be liable to be taken in
execution of any decree or order of any court or of any local
authority or person having by law the power to attach or distrain
property or otherwise to cause property to be taken in execution,
without the previous sanction of the Central
Government.
(2) Nothing in sub-section (1) shall be construed to affect
the authority of any court to attach the earnings of a railway in
execution of a decree or order.
188. Railway servants to
be public servants for the purposes of Chapter IX and section 409 of
the Indian Penal Code.
(1) Any railway servant, who is
not a public servant within the meaning of section 21 of the Indian
Penal Code (45 of 1860), shall be deemed to be a public servant for
the purposes of Chapter IX and section 409 of that
Code.
(2)
In the definition of "legal remuneration" in section 161 of the
Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860), the word "Government" shall, for the
purposes of sub-section (1), be deemed to include any employer of a
railway servant as such.
189. Railway servants
not to engage in trade.
A railway servant shall
not-
(a) purchase or bid for, either in person or by an agent, in
his own name or in that of another, or jointly or in shares with
others, any property put to auction under section 83 or section 84
or section 85 or section 90; or
(b) in contravention of any
direction of the railway administration in this behalf, engage in
trade.
190. Procedure for
delivery to railway administration of property detained by a railway
servant.
If a railway servant is discharged from service or is
suspended, or dies or absconds or absents himself, and he or his
wife or widow or any member of his family or his representative
refuses or neglects, after notice in writing for that purpose, to
deliver up to the railway administration or to a person appointed by
the railway administration, in this behalf, any station, office or
other building with its appurtenances, or any books, papers, keys,
equipment or other matters, belonging to the railway administration
and in the possession or custody of such railway servant at the
occurrence of any such event as aforesaid, any Metropolitan
Magistrate or Judicial Magistrate of the first class may, on
application made by or on behalf of the railway administration,
order any police officer, with proper assistance, to enter upon the
station, office or other building and remove any person found
therein and take possession thereof, or to take possession of the
books, papers or other matters, and to deliver the same to the
railway administration or to a person appointed by the railway
administration in that behalf.
191. Proof of entries in
records and documents.
Entries made in the records or
other document of a railway administration shall be admitted in
evidence in all proceedings by or against the railway
administration, and all such entries may be proved either by the
production of the records or other documents of the railway
administration containing such entries or by the production of a
copy of the entries certified by the officer having custody of the
records or other documents under his signature and stating that it
is a true copy of the original entries and that such original
entries are contained in the records or other documents of the
railway administration in his possession.
192. Service of notice,
etc., on railway administration.
Any notice or other document
required or authorised by this Act to be served on a railway
administration may be served, in the case of a Zonal Railway, on the
General Manager or any of the railway servant authorised by the
General Manager, and in the case of any other railway, on the owner
or lessee of the railway or the person working the railway under an
agreement.
(a) by delivering it to him; or
(b) by leaving at his office;
or
(c) by
registered post to his office address.
193. Service of notice,
etc., by railway administration.
Unless otherwise provided in this
Act or the rules framed thereunder, any notice or other document
required or authorised by this Act to be served on any person by a
railway administration may be served-
(a) by delivering it to the
person; or
(b) by leaving it at the usual or last known place of abode
of the person; or
(c) by registered post addressed to the person at his usual
or last known place of abode.
194. Presumption where
notice is served by post.
Where a notice or other document
is served by post, it shall be deemed to have been served at the
time when the letter containing it would be delivered in the
ordinary course of post, and in proving such service, it shall be
sufficient to prove that the letter containing the notice or other
document was properly addressed and registered.
195. Representation of
railway administration.
(1) A railway administration may,
by order in writing, authorise any railway servant or other person
to act for, or represent it, as the case may be, in any proceeding
before any civil, criminal or other court.
(2) A person authorised by a
railway administration to conduct prosecutions on its behalf shall,
notwithstanding anything in section 302 of the Code of Criminal
Procedure, 1973 (2 of 1974), be entitled to conduct such
prosecutions without the permission of the
Magistrate.
196. Power to exempt
railway from Act.
(1) The Central Government may,
by notification, exempt any railway from all or any of the
provisions of this Act.
(2) Every notification issued
under sub-section (1) shall be laid as soon as may be after it is
issued before each House of Parliament.
197. Matters
supplemental to the definitions of "railway" and "railway
servant".
(1) For the purposes of sections 67, 113, 121, 123, 147, 151
to 154, 160, 164, 166, 168, 170, 171, 173 to 176, 179, 180, 182,
184, 185, 187 to 190, 192, 193, 195 and of this section, the word
"railway" whether it occurs alone or as a prefix to another word,
has reference to a railway or portion of a railway under
construction and to a railway or portion of a railway not used for
the public carriage of passengers, animals or goods as well as to a
railway falling within the definition of that word in clause (31) of
section 2.
(2) For the purposes of sections 7, 24, 113, 146, 172 to 176
and 188 to 190, the expression "railway servant" includes a person
employed under a railway in connection with the service thereof by a
person fulfilling a contract with the railway
administration.
198. General power to
make rules.
Without prejudice to any power to make rules contained
elsewhere in this Act, the Central Government may make rules
generally to carry out the purposes of this Act.
199. Rules to be laid
before Parliament.
Every rule made under this Act
shall be laid, as soon as may be after it is made, before each House
of Parliament, while it is in session, for a total period of thirty
days which may be comprised in one session or in two or more
successive sessions, and if, before the expiry of the session
immediately following the session or the successive sessions
aforesaid, both Houses agree in making any modification in the rule
or both houses agree that the rule should not be made, the rule
shall thereafter have effect only in such modified form or be of no
effect, as the case may be; so, however, that any such modification
or annulment shall be without prejudice to the validity of anything
previously done under that rule.
200. Repeal and
saving.
(1) The Indian Railways Act, 1890 (9 of 1890), is hereby
repealed.
(2) Notwithstanding the repeal of the Indian Railways Act,
1890 (9 of 1890) (hereinafter referred to as the repealed
Act)-
(a)anything done or any action taken or purported to have
been done or taken including any rule, notification inspection,
order or notice made or issued, or any appointment or declaration
made or any licence, permission, authorisation or exemption granted
or any document or instrument executed or any direction given or any
proceedings taken or any penalty or fine imposed) under the repealed
Act shall, in so far as it is not inconsistent with the provisions
of this Act, be deemed to have been done or taken under the
corresponding provisions of this Act;
(b) any complaint made to the
Railway Rates Tribunal under sub-section (1) of section 41 of the
repealed Act but not disposed of before the commencement of this Act
and any complaint that may be made to the said Tribunal against any
act or omission of a railway administration under the repealed Act,
shall be heard and decided by the Tribunal constituted under this
Act in accordance with the provisions of Chapter VII of this
Act.
(3)
The mention of particular matters in sub-section (2) shall not be
held to prejudice or affect the general application of section 6 of
the General Clauses Act, 1897 (10 of 1897), with regard to the
effect of repeal.