Delhi HC upholds suspension of catering company by Railways for safety violations in trains

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has upheld the Railway Ministry’s decision to suspend the tenure of Zenith Leisure Holidays Ltd for six months over safety violations.

The company was found to be using LPG cylinders for cooking on trains, violating explicit Indian Railways guidelines against flame cooking in dining cars.

The Supreme Court’s verdict comes after an incident during the journey of the South Indian train ‘Swadesh Darshan’ from November 20 to 28, 2022.

Despite the demand for a rake for flameless cooking, Zenith had to make do with inadequate facilities, resulting in LPG cylinders being used as a last resort.

This action resulted in a fine of Rs 2 lakh and suspension following a surprise inspection in Madurai on November 24 during which five gas cylinders were seized.

Referring to the senior contractor’s responsibility for maintaining safety norms, Justice Subramonium Prasad said: “The fact that the train in question was delayed cannot be an excuse…It is not uncommon in India for trains to be delayed due to several factors and the contractor “We are prepared for such eventualities.”

The court rejected the plaintiff’s argument that they had been unfairly singled out and pointed to an action report that showed similar penalties had been imposed on other service providers for similar violations.