Train travel rules: Madras High Court backs 10 PM–6 AM sleeping berth timings in reserved coaches; here’s why

The Madras High Court has upheld the Indian Railways' restriction on sleeping berth timings in reserved train coaches, ruling that passengers can use sleeping berths only between 10 PM and 6 AM, Hindustan Times reported.

The court said the provision is intended to balance the convenience of all passengers travelling in the same coach, according to the report.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice SA Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arul Murugan dismissed an appeal challenging Para 652(a) of the Indian Railway Commercial Manual, Volume I, which specifies the hours during which passengers can use sleeping accommodation, as per the report.

The bench reportedly observed that an isolated incident in which co-passengers refused to accommodate an unwell passenger beyond the prescribed sleeping hours was not sufficient grounds to invalidate a rule intended to serve the larger public interest.

“The restrictions under Para 652 bear a reasonable nexus for ensuring convenience for all travelling passengers. A solitary instance, where co-passengers declined to extend sleeping hours for the appellant's unwell wife, does not justify invalidating a rule designed to serve the broader public interest,” the court said, as cited by the publication.

Why was the sleeping berth rule challenged?

The appeal was filed by S Balasubramanian, a Chennai resident, who approached the court after an alleged dispute with co-passengers during a train journey with his wife.

According to his petition cited in the report, his wife was unwell and needed to use the sleeping berth beyond the stipulated hours. However, fellow passengers allegedly refused to accommodate her request.

Balasubramanian argued that the railway manual already contained provisions allowing pregnant women, persons with disabilities and sick passengers to seek accommodation from co-passengers according to their specific needs.

He contended that these safeguards were ineffective if passengers could refuse such requests and challenged an earlier single-bench order that had dismissed his petition against the provision.

What are the Indian Railways' sleeping berth rules?

Under Para 652 of the Indian Railway Commercial Manual, sleeping accommodation in reserved coaches is available between 10 PM and 6 AM, according to the HT report.

For the remaining hours, from 6 AM to 10 PM, the berths are intended to be used as seating accommodation.

The arrangement is designed to ensure that passengers allotted middle and upper berths also have adequate seating space during the day, the division bench observed, as per the report.

The court said the restriction was intended to ensure that all passengers holding valid tickets could travel comfortably without one passenger's use of the berth inconveniencing others.

It also noted that the railway manual provides safeguards for pregnant women, persons with disabilities and sick passengers who may require special accommodation.

What should passengers do if co-passengers refuse to cooperate?

While upholding the restriction, the High Court clarified that passengers facing difficulties could approach railway officials to ensure that the safeguards under Para 652(d) of the manual were properly implemented.

“We, however, clarify that passengers experiencing difficulties can report them to railway officials, who are bound to ensure that the safeguards under Para 652(d) are properly enforced,” the court said.

The bench also observed that Balasubramanian could have approached the Railway Protection Force (RPF) or other railway officials when his co-passenger allegedly refused to cooperate.

About the Author

For about a decade, Livemint—News Desk has been a credible source for authentic and timely news, and well-researched analysis on national news, business, personal finance, corporates, politics and geopolitics. We bring the latest updates on all the listed companies on BSE and NSE, startups, mutual funds, Union ministries, geopolitics, and untapped human interest stories from around the world, helping our readers to stay informed on the latest developments around the globe. Our Coverage Areas 1. Companies: Comprehensive news and analysis on listed and unlisted companies, corporate announcements, corporate chatter, C-suite, business trends, hiring alerts, layoffs, work-life balance, world's top billionaires and richest and more. 2. Personal finance: Insights into mutual funds, small savings schemes like - PPF, SSY, post office savings scheme, stock to watch, personal loans, credit cards, top bank FDs, real estate, income tax and more. 3. Politics: Comprehensive coverage of general elections, state elections and bypolls, Lok Sabha, Vidhan Sabha, Parliament, PMO, PIB, finance ministry, home ministry, among other union ministries and government departments. 4. National News: From metro cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and e to untapped stories from rural India, we cover human interest, health, education, crime and courts, and law and order, among other areas of public interest. 5. Economy: In-depth analysis of India's macro and micro-economic indicators like- GDP, inflation, forex, fiscal deficit, current account deficit, interest rate cycle, economic recovery, RBI circulars, indirect taxes, GST, Insolvency and Bankruptcy imports, exports and everything that impacts Indian economy. 6. Geopolitics: Well-rounded and deeply researched coverage on US News, Oval Office European Union, Ukraine Russia War, middle-east crisis, royal families and global leaders like - Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, Xi Jinping and premiers of other leading economies in the world. Meet the Team 1. Gulam Jeelani, Political Affairs Editor 2. Sugam Singhal, Senior Assistant Editor 3. Chanchal, Assistant Editor 4. Sanchari Ghosh, Chief Content Producer 5. Pratik Prashant Mukane, Chief Content Producer 6. Sayantani Biswas, Chief Content Producer 7. Ravi Hari, Deputy Chief Content Producer 8. Garvit Bhirani, Deputy Chief Content Producer 9. Akriti Anand, Senior Content Producer 10. Jocelyn Felix Fernandes, Senior Content Producer 11. Swastika Das Sharma, Content Producer 12. Mausam Jha, Content Producer 13. Riya R Alex, Trainee Content Producer