Telangana HC Modifies Railway Tribunal Order on ₹8 Lakh Compensation

The Telangana High Court has modified an order passed by the Railway Claims Tribunal in Secunderabad regarding an ₹8 lakh compensation awarded to a bereaved mother, replacing an extended 72-instalment payout schedule with four fixed deposits.

Justice B Vijaysen Reddy held that the condition imposed by the tribunal was unfair to the claimant, Valli Nayaki. The judge directed that the remaining ₹7.2 lakh balance of the compensation amount be kept in four separate fixed deposits of ₹1.8 lakh each, rather than being released in small monthly sums over several years.

The case arises from the death of Nayaki’s 30-year-old son, who was working as a software professional. In August 2023, he fell from the moving Jabalpur-Yesvantpur Express while travelling through Kumuram Bheem Asifabad district and died from his injuries.

Following the fatal accident, Nayaki, a teacher residing in Tamil Nadu, sought compensation before the Railway Claims Tribunal in Secunderabad. In March 2026, the tribunal awarded her a total compensation of ₹8 lakh. However, it ordered that only ₹80,000 along with accrued interest be paid to her immediately, while the remaining ₹7.2 lakh was to be disbursed in 72 instalments of ₹10,000 each month.

Aggrieved by the prolonged payout schedule, Nayaki approached the high court to challenge the tribunal's order, arguing that spreading the compensation across six years was unreasonable. Appearing on her behalf, counsel E Varun Kumar cited Supreme Court precedents in similar cases, submitting that while compensation is sometimes staggered to protect beneficiaries from exploitation, the extended timeline in this instance imposed an undue burden on the mother.