Indian Railways
Indian Railways has increased the amount of fine for crimes and violations of rules. Under the new order, there will no longer be a direct case but instead a penalty will be imposed first and if the penalty is not paid then the matter will go to court. According to the information, the government has made changes in Sections 137 and 138 of the Railway Act, 1989 under the Public Trust (Amendment Provisions) Act, 2026. Under this, the minimum fine has now been increased from Rs 250 to Rs 500. Officials said that now if a passenger is caught without a ticket, without a valid pass or traveling beyond the authorized distance, he will have to pay double the minimum penalty as before.
According to Section 137 of the Railway Act, 1989, if a person knowingly travels without a proper ticket or pass, he will be fined and punished. In the earlier system, the minimum fine was Rs 250 and the maximum was jail up to 6 months or fine up to Rs 1,000 or both. Apart from this, apart from the journey fare, additional charges also had to be paid. Under the new order, the minimum fine has now been increased to Rs 500. There has been no change in the maximum punishment while the system of collecting additional charges and fare will continue as before.
What changed in Section 138?
Section 138 applies to passengers who travel without a valid ticket or pass, or travel beyond the distance specified in the ticket. Earlier the minimum additional fine was Rs 250 but now the minimum additional fine has been made Rs 500. However, there has been no change in the system of fare for actual distance traveled and other additional charges.
Fine of Rs 10,000 for carrying objectionable items
Under the new change, Railways has now decided that a fine of at least Rs 10,000 will be imposed for carrying dangerous items and in serious cases, jail sentence can also be imposed. Not only this, if you travel with a ticket in the name of another person, the ticket will be confiscated and the passenger will have to pay the ticket fare and an additional fee of at least Rs 500.
Hawking or begging at stations and trains will prove costly
A penalty of up to Rs 2,000 will be imposed for selling goods without a license, hawking or begging on railway premises. At the same time, there is a provision for jail and higher fine for repeated violation of the rules. Under the new rule, tickets can now be confiscated if drunk passengers are harassed on a train or station. Along with this, the punishment can be a fine up to Rs 1,000, jail or community service.
Fine will also be imposed on entering railway premises without permission
A penalty of Rs 500 will be imposed for entering or leaving the passenger area without permission. There is a provision of fine up to Rs 5,000 and jail sentence for trespassing on other railway properties. A penalty of Rs 2,500 will be imposed for unauthorized entry of a male passenger into a women’s reserved compartment, seat or room. If the penalty is not paid, the case will go to court and a fine of up to Rs 5,000 can be imposed.
Violation of vehicle rules in railway premises
A penalty of Rs 500 will be imposed for wrong parking, breaking one-way rules or disrupting traffic in the station premises. Railway Board has sent letters to all zonal railways regarding amendments in the rules. However, notification to implement the new provisions will be issued separately. At the same time, Railways has instructed TTE, commercial employees, RPF and other field staff that the revised penalty amount should be applied in cases registered on or after July 1, 2026. A senior Railway Ministry official said that the purpose of this amendment is to ban ticketless travel, promote compliance with rules, protect railway revenue and make the ticket checking system more effective.
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