Delhi HC rejects Rs 84,000 claim for stolen bag in train, says passengers are responsible for their own luggage's safety

The Delhi High Court ruled Wednesday that train passengers are responsible for their luggage's safety. The railway is not liable for theft unless railway officials are negligent or act improperly.

Justice Ravinder Dudeja made this ruling while reviewing a case involving a man whose backpack was stolen. The backpack contained a laptop, charger, eyeglasses, and ATM cards. The theft occurred on a journey from New Delhi to Nagpur in January 2013 while the man was traveling in a 3rd AC coach.

The man claimed the train attendant was sleeping and rude, and the conductor was unavailable. He sought Rs 84,000 for the lost items and Rs 1 lakh for harassment. The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission dismissed his claim. The high court upheld the commission’s decision.


The court noted, “there was ‘not even a whisper’ of the doors of the coach being left open to enable some unauthorised intruder to commit the theft.”

(Inputs from PTI)