The Supreme Court on Friday declined to entertain a plea seeking directions to authorities on crowd management, citing claims that over 200 people had died in a recent stampede at the New Delhi railway station.
A bench of Justices B R Gavai and P K Mishra questioned the veracity of the claim, asking the counsel representing the petitioner, “Is there any proof that 200 have died?”
The counsel stated that several videos of the incident had been uploaded on X (formerly Twitter) and that the Railways had issued notices to witnesses present at the scene.
The bench observed that those individuals could approach the court themselves. When asked whether the petitioner believed the authorities were neglecting the issue, the counsel responded that the petition aimed to ensure proper implementation of the National Disaster Management Act and relevant crowd management rules.
The bench dismissed the plea, suggesting that the petitioner may approach the Delhi High Court with the grievance.
The counsel informed the court that the plea had named all states and Union Territories as respondents in the matter. Meanwhile, on February 19, the Delhi High Court had directed the Railways to examine the regulation of passenger numbers and the sale of platform tickets. The court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) concerning the stampede at the station.
The high court sought details of the decisions taken by the authorities on these issues and directed them to submit an affidavit. The incident, which occurred on February 15 at the New Delhi Railway Station, resulted in at least 18 deaths. The station had witnessed a surge in passengers waiting to board trains to Prayagraj, where the Maha Kumbh was underway.
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