In a PIL filed at the Apex Court, the litigant demands an expert committee to look into the matter of Delhi Railway Station Stampede case. The PIL also asks to issue guidelines to the relevant authorities so that such further incidents could be monitored and prevented.
An Overview
On 15th January 2025, the city awoke with the screams of flocked individuals at the New Delhi Railway Station waiting to board the train departing for Prayagraj Maha Kumbh. The suffocating influx resulted in the death of 18 people, including 5 children and left many severely injured and asphyxiated.
In a PIL filed at the Apex Court by advocate Vishal Tiwari, the litigant demands an expert committee to look into the matter of Delhi Railway Station Stampede case, which could formulate and issue guidelines for crowd management so that such incidents could be tacitly prevented.
Key Issues Highlighted in the Petition
The petition highlights that despite adequate infrastructural capabilities and technological developments, definitive preventive measures to monitor the matter of crowd controlling have recurringly fallen out of the hands of the authorities.
It also mentions that similar occurrences have been there in the past, including the recent Allahabad Stampede on 29th January 2025, but the authorities have failed to take relevant measures to prevent such mishaps.
Cause of Dissatisfaction
The petitioner has strongly despised the disproportionate allocation of security measures, pointing out that government resources, volunteers, and advanced technology are prioritized for VIPs, while the safety of ordinary citizens remains neglected and compromised in mass gatherings.
“Today we have sufficient forces, Volunteers, have technology and Artificial Intelligence and if also such incident takes place than it is a Sorry State of Affairs. For few people or VIP’s government can deploy the all technology and intelligence but for common people they are left on the mercy of God,” the petitioner submitted.
It is noteworthy that within one and a half months this year, three Stampedes so far have claimed nearly 54 lives, leaving hundreds injured. There is an urgent need to look into the matter of regulating the crowds with adequate legal measures, supplemented with judicial remedies. A systematic approach to regulating mobs in religious and public gatherings alone could bring the death tolls down by approximately three-fourths.
Tanishq, a law student at the Department of Legal Studies and Research, Barkatullah Vishwavidyalaya, Bhopal, is a budding legal writer with a sharp eye for evolving legal landscapes. Passionate about Intellectual Property Rights, Constitutional Law, and Women and Child Safety Laws, Tanishq actively explores contemporary legal nuances through writing and research
References
- https://lawchakra.in/supreme-court/supreme-court-pil-delhi-stampede/
- https://www.barandbench.com/news/litigation/life-and-death-volkswagen-bombay-high-court-14-billion-tax-demand-indian-customs
- https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/new-delhi-railway-station-stampede-live-updates-pm-modi-says-authorities-helping-those-affected-2680678-2025-02-16
- https://www.livelaw.in/top-stories/new-delhi-railway-station-stampede-pil-filed-in-supreme-court-for-better-crowd-management-measures-284154
https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=2103717®=3&lang=1