Arham Jain
On February 17, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was officially filed before the Apex Court of India, in an attempt to engage experts and develop guidelines to prevent such accidents, which led to the New Delhi Railway Station stampede case making its way to the Supreme Court.
A PIL is a petition that is submitted to a court in order to defend the public’s rights.
This action follows the stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station on the evening of February 15, 2025, which left at least 18 persons dead and several others wounded. Advocate Vishal Tiwari filed the PIL, which asks the Centre and other authorities to execute and take into consideration a 2014 study on “Managing Crowd at Events and Venues of Mass Gathering” from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
The appeal said, “Issue writ of mandamus… to all respondents Union and the states to coordinate and work collectively by constituting an expert committee which shall frame guidelines and measures to prevent the incidents of stampede.”
According to the research, steps that may be taken to guarantee the safety of passengers using Indian Railways include widening corridors, building wider overbridges and platforms, and making sure that ramps and escalators provide easy access to platforms during peak hours.
According to the request, stampedes still happen in spite of the availability of artificial intelligence, sophisticated technology, and enough security guards, indicating a breakdown in public safety protocols and readiness.
It also questioned why VIPs have access to sophisticated technology and information but regular folks are left at risk of similar tragedies, criticizing the discrepancy in safety measures.
Additionally, it requested that the Railways and other authorities provide a status report on the stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station. The same petitioner had previously petitioned the Supreme Court over the stampede during the MahaKumbh Mela, but the Supreme Court declined to consider the case and advised the petitioner to go to the High Court instead, according to the article.
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