Increase local train services on Central and Western railways to 700 per day: HC to Maharashtra

The Bombay high court has directed the Centre and the state to ensure that train services under Central and Western Railways are increased to 700 per day. It said though the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions have been relaxed, trains services have not increased.

The court asked the state about the measures taken to ensure social distancing norms are followed on trains.

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It was hearing a bunch of petitions filed of lawyer groups and the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa seeking inclusion of lawyers as essential service providers to allow them to travel on local trains. It was informed that there a large number of lawyers wanting to attend lower courts were unable to do so. The court directed the bar associations to provide a list of lawyers who want to travel by local trains to attend courts.

Dr Milind Sathe, who appeared for the lawyers, submitted out of the 25,000 registered lawyers with the Bar council, only 1000 lawyers require to travel by local trains on a daily basis. He said the apprehension of the state that allowing them to travel by local trains would increase over-crowding is invalid.

Sathe said there were no video conferencing facilities in lower courts, and lawyers had no option but to attend court hearings physically.