Justice Prevails: Widow Receives Rs 8.92 Lakh Compensation After 23-Year Legal Battle Following Supreme Court Intervention

The authorities successfully transferred Rs 8,92,953 to the widow's bank account after years of legal struggle.

New Delhi:

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant expressed on Thursday, "A smile on a poor person's face is what we want to earn, nothing else," noting that Railways had finally traced and paid Rs 8.92 lakh as compensation to a widow who lost her husband in a 2002 train accident, following the Supreme Court's intervention.

The bench, which included Justice Joymalya Bagchi, acknowledged the challenging task of locating the elderly woman who had relocated to a remote village in Bihar and whose contact was lost after her local lawyer passed away. They commended the efforts of Railways and advocate Fauzia Shakil, who represented the widow without charging any fees to ensure she received financial relief.

"This young lawyer (Shakil), who represented her pro bono, ensured that she got the compensation after 23 years. We had to trace her with the help of the local police and administration, and finally railways managed to pay her. A smile on a poor person's face is what we want to earn, nothing else," stated CJI Surya Kant.

In its affidavit, the railways confirmed that following the October 6 order, they successfully traced Sanyokta Devi with assistance from local administration and police.

"That in compliance with the order of the Supreme Court dated October 6, 2025, the Railways sent a staff to collect the PAN Card, Aadhaar Card, Certificate issued by the Gram Panchayat and Bank mandate particulars from the resident of the appellant/claimant with the help of the local police station. However, the appellant/claimant submitted all documents except the Bank particulars. She later sent her Bank particulars through speed post on November 10, 2025, to this office," stated the railways.

After receiving her banking details, authorities transferred Rs 8,92,953 to her account on November 13.

In October, the Supreme Court went to extraordinary lengths to ensure the widow received due compensation from Railways after years of struggle.

Devi's husband, Vijay Singh, had a valid railway ticket from Bakhtiyarpur station to Patna on the Bhagalpur-Danapur Intercity Express on March 21, 2002. He accidentally fell from the train at the originating station due to overcrowding and died instantly.

What followed was a two-decade legal battle, as Devi's compensation claim was rejected by both the Railway Claims Tribunal and the Patna High Court on grounds that her husband was of unsound mind.

Aggrieved by the high court's denial, she approached the Supreme Court through her lawyer Shakil.

In 2023, the Supreme Court rejected the reasoning of the Railway Claims Tribunal and the Patna High Court, setting aside their orders and labeling them "completely absurd," "imaginary," and "contrary to the undisputed facts on record."

"What emerges is the fact that the appellant's claim was not accepted by both the Tribunal and the High Court solely on the ground that the deceased was of unsound mind and he was knocked down by an unidentified train," the Supreme Court noted in its February 2, 2023 order.

The court observed that if the man had been of unsound mind, it would have been virtually impossible for him to purchase a valid railway ticket and attempt to board the train independently.

The Supreme Court directed Railways to pay the widow Rs 4 lakh with six percent annual interest from the date of filing the claim petition within two months.

Unfortunately, her local counsel passed away before conveying the order to her.

Railways attempted to comply with the order by sending various letters to Devi but received no response due to an incorrect address.

Unable to deliver the compensation, Railways approached the Supreme Court, expressing its inability to comply with the February 2, 2023 order.

The Supreme Court noted that the woman had relocated from her original residence due to family circumstances.

To locate her, the court instructed the Principal Chief Commercial Manager of Eastern Railway at Kolkata to publish notices in two leading newspapers (English and Hindi) in her region, providing details about her claim's acceptance and instructions for collecting compensation.

Additionally, the court directed the SSP Nalanda and the SHO of Bakhtiyarpur police station to physically verify her whereabouts and, if found, inform her about her entitlement to the awarded amount.

Eventually, Railways informed the Supreme Court that through combined efforts with local police, they successfully located the correct village and found the woman with her family members.

The Supreme Court then directed Railway authorities to pay the compensation amount with assistance from local police and instructed the local SHO to accompany Railway officials to ensure the amount was deposited into her bank account.