Unauthorized Railway E-ticket Declared Illegal

• 13 Jan 2025

Source: TH 

In the Mathew K Cherian Case, 2025, the Supreme Court held that unauthorised business of procuring and supplying railway e-tickets is a social crime which must be stopped. 

• Section 143 of the Railways Act, 1989 addresses penalties for the unauthorized sale and procurement of railway tickets, both online and offline. 
• The case referenced the English case of Comdel Commodities Ltd. v. Siporex Trade SA Case, 1990 to argue that legal provisions can extend to unforeseen technological advancements. 
  • The Kerala High Court had previously ruled that the provision applied only to offline ticket sales but was corrected by the Supreme Court. 
• Mathew, the accused, created hundreds of unauthorized user IDs to circumvent ticketing limits set by IRCTC (12-24 ticket reservations per month), violating Section 143 of the Act. 
• The Indian Railways is a keystone of India’s infrastructure that carries around 673 crore passengers annually. 

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