PIL In SC Seeking Panel Headed By Retired Judge To Probe Odisha Train Accident

New Delhi: A PIL has been filed in the Supreme Court, seeking a direction to the Centre for setting up an inquiry commission headed by a retired apex court judge to probe the cause of 3-way train crash in Odisha’s Balasore district.

The enquiry commission should conclude its probe in two months and try to examine the root cause of the accident and submit its report before the top court, the plea filed by advocate Vishal Tiwari said.

An expert commission headed by retired judge of the apex court and comprising technical members should be set up to analyse and review the risk and safety parameters in the railway system and suggest systematic safety modifications for strengthening Railway safety mechanism and submit its report to the court, it further said.

Tiwari, in his plea, also submitted that absence of Kavach system on Balasore route had resulted in the massive loss of life and damage of public property and sought issuance of guidelines for the implementation of the Automatic Train Protection (ATP) System in Indian Railways with immediate effect.

Also Read: Explained: Kavach Could Not Have Prevented Odisha Train Accident

Referring to train accidents that have taken place in the country in the last three decades, he further submitted that authorities have been slow in providing redress in developing a safety enforcement mechanism against such collisions and accidents.

The 3-way crash, involving Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express and goods train near the Bahanaga Bazar station in Balasore, left 275 people dead and over 1,000 injured.