Every death deserves dignity: HC raps Chhattisgarh govt, Railways over negligence and orders compensation

RAIPUR: The Chhattisgarh High Court has strongly criticised the Chhattisgarh government and the Railways for filing affidavits that attempt to evade responsibility in cases of public negligence.
The court noted that a tribal person died due to delayed ambulance service, and the family of the deceased had to wait four hours for a vehicle to transport the body home. In a separate incident, the family of a cancer patient who died on a train also faced delays in obtaining a hearse.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Ramesh Sinha and Justice Arvind Kumar Verma expressed dissatisfaction with the "casual and insensitive manner" in which the affidavits were filed. The bench remarked, "At least, after death, every human being is entitled to a respectful farewell. If the authorities of the State as well as Railways are not even able to provide a vehicle for carrying the dead body back to their respective homes, and that too, when one case relates to the death of a poor tribal and the other relates to the death of a cancer patient travelling in the train, then the fate of other general people can be very well understood.
The Chhattisgarh government argued that there is no provision for compensation to the families of victims who die due to delayed ambulance service. However, the court countered that merely imposing fines on service providers is insufficient when the state spends substantial funds on ambulance services. The court emphasised that affected families deserve compensation.
Similarly, the court criticised the Railways for not taking immediate action following the death of the cancer patient. The bench stated that a large organisation like the Railways should not wait for formal complaints and should proactively arrange for the respectful transportation of the deceased. “This Court does not appreciate the conduct of the State as well as the Railways and is not at all satisfied with the affidavits filed,” the bench asserted.
The High Court directed the State of Chhattisgarh to pay Rs 2 lakh to the family of the tribal person and ordered the Divisional Railway Manager, Bilaspur, to pay Rs 1 lakh to the family of the cancer patient. The court specified that these payments must be made before the next hearing date. The Secretary of Health and the Divisional Railway Manager, Bilaspur, are required to file affidavits confirming compliance. The matter is scheduled for further monitoring on 28 July 2025.
The court took suo motu cognizance on March 19, 2025, of two news reports—one in The Times of India, Raipur, titled “Tribal Man’s 11-Hr Wait for Ambulance Ends in 4-Hr Delay for Hearse”, and another in Dainik Bhaskar, “Train mein safar kar rahi cancer pidit mahila ki maut, ambulance ke intezar mein 1 ghante pada raha shav.”
The Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department, Government of Chhattisgarh, was directed to file a personal affidavit clarifying whether compensation was provided to the tribal man’s family. In compliance, an affidavit was filed and noted on April 11, 2025.
That same day, the court further directed the Secretary to file a personal affidavit regarding possible compensation for the family of the deceased cancer patient. The Divisional Railway Manager (DRM), Bilaspur, was also instructed to explain the lack of ambulance services at the railway station.
As the Secretary was on leave, the Commissioner-cum-Director, Health Services, submitted an affidavit on his behalf, stating there is no compensation provision under the agreement with the ambulance service provider. However, a penalty of Rs 2,21,783 was imposed on the provider for delayed service, in accordance with clause of the agreement dated November 18, 2019.
In response, the DRM, Bilaspur, submitted that upon receiving information on March 18, 2025, about a woman’s body lying unattended on Platform No. 3, station officials, a doctor, and a nurse responded immediately. Upon arrival, they found the body had already been taken away by relatives. Show cause notices were issued to the concerned station officials by the railways, and supporting statements were submitted in court.