Mountaineer Arunima wins battle against railways after seven years

After a seven-year legal battle, mountaineer Arunima Sinha won the right to compensation from the railways for a 2011 incident in which she was pushed out of a moving train near Bareilly while resisting robbery, resulting in amputation of her left leg.

After a seven-year legal battle, mountaineer Arunima Sinha won the right to compensation from the railways for a 2011 incident in which she was pushed out of a moving train near Bareilly while resisting robbery, resulting in amputation of her left leg.

Arunima Sinha.

The Railway Claims Tribunal, Lucknow, ordered the railways to pay Rs 7.2 lakh as compensation to Arunima. The court also ordered railways to pay the amount with 6 per cent interest from January 1, 2017.

Arunima was on way to New Delhi by Padmavat Express from Lucknow on April 11, 2011, when she was pushed out of the moving train by miscreants. Doctors treating Arunima at the AIIMS, New Delhi had to cut her left leg during the course of treatment.

Advocate Janki Sharan Pandey, who represented Arunima before the court, stated that during arguments railways had initially refused to accept that Arunima was a bonafide train passenger.

Thereafter, the railways changed its stand and contended that Arunima fell from the train due to her own negligence and was not pushed by robbers and so she was not entitled for any compensation, said Pandey.

However, during the prolonged legal battle, it was proved that Arunima was travelling on a valid ticket and was pushed from the moving train by miscreants.

Pandey had earlier successfully contested the case of Manish Mishra, who died after being pushed out of a moving train near Chata railway station, Mathura, on January 24, 2004, while opposing eve teasing on the train.

Mahendra Mishra, father of the deceased, received a compensation of about Rs 6 lakh from railways by orders of the tribunal.