Not Okay To Call Someone 'Second-Class' Passenger: Supreme Court To Railways
The Supreme Court of India criticized the Indian Railways for labeling accident victims as 'second-class passengers' in official documents. The court argued that such terminology reflects historical class divisions and is offensive to the Constitution.
Why it matters
This ruling challenges institutional language that perpetuates social inequality and emphasizes the shared responsibility between state services and citizens for safety.
A train accident victim being called a "second-class passenger" in documents hasn't gone down well with the Supreme Court. Hearing his family's petition for compensation, which had been denied on the ground that no ticket was recovered from his body, the court linked the references to the "history of class divisions in our country" and called them "offensive to the spirit of the Constitution of India"."One aspect that caught our attention while perusing the manual and other related documents was the use of the term 'second class passenger'.
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