Ticketless travel must be dealt with sternly: Court; hands 3-year RI to man for attacking TC

Mumbai, Aug 13 (PTI) A local court has sentenced a 25-year-old man to three years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) for assaulting an on-duty ticket collector at a Navi Mumbai railway station, ruling such an offence is against society and people travelling without tickets need to be dealt with sternly.

Additional Sessions Judge A Nandgaonkar, in an order passed last week, held the commuter, Tinku Khan, guilty of offences committed under relevant sections of the IPC for assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty as well as provisions of the Indian Railways Act.

As per a complaint lodged by ticket collector (TC) Dipesh Mulave with the Vashi Railway Police, he was on duty at the Seawoods suburban station when he intercepted Khan, who was travelling without a valid ticket, in February 2021.

When enquired about his identity, the accused produced his Aadhaar and election cards, but the names mentioned in them were different, according to the complaint.

When Mulave was taking the commuter to a Railway Police outpost for further enquiry about his identity, the accused got angry and started hurling abuses at him. Khan also manhandled the Railway staffer, said the police.

The court, after considering submissions made by the prosecution, noted the accused not only manhandled the ticket collector, but even dared to use criminal force and thus deterred a public servant from discharging his official duty.

In such a case, no lenient view is possible considering the age of the accused and use of muscle power, it maintained.

"Such type of offence is against society in general wherein such type of attitude (of) travelling without a ticket needs to be dealt with a stern hand," the judge observed.

Quarrelling with a competent authority requires severe punishment to send out a strong message to people, the court noted and sentenced the accused to three years' rigorous imprisonment. PTI AVI RSY