The Supreme Court, on Monday, dismissed a plea challenging the Kerala High Court’s decision to reject a petition seeking the inclusion of Tirur Railway Station in the route of the ‘Vande Bharat Train Service’ in Malappuram District.
The bench comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justice PS Narasimha, and Justice Manoj Misra expressed its reluctance to entertain the plea, stating that it involved a policy matter. The Supreme Court dismissed the plea accordingly.
The Division Bench of the Kerala High Court, consisting of Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas and Justice C. Jayachandran, previously dismissed the plea, noting that the petition lacked public interest and that the decision to provide stops for the train was within the jurisdiction of the Railways.
The High Court emphasized that individuals did not have a vested right to demand such stops. In its April 28, 2023 order, the High Court further stated that if stops were granted on public demand, the concept of an “express train” would lose its meaning.
The petitioner argued through Advocate Sriram P. that Tirur Railway Station, located in Malappuram District, had initially been granted a stop in the train schedule issued by the Indian Railways. However, it was subsequently withdrawn and replaced with Shornur Railway Station in Palakkad district.
The petitioner alleged that the decision to change the stop was politically motivated and unfair.
To support the argument, the petitioner referred to the population data of Tirur District in Malappuram and Shornur District in Palakkad based on the 2011 Census Report.
The petitioner claimed that Tirur was a densely populated district, and denying the railway stop there would result in significant inconvenience and hinder transportation for the entire population of the district.
The petitioner also contended that Shornur Railway Station is approximately 56 km away from Tirur, making it difficult for residents of Malappuram District to commute such a distance.
The petitioner asserted that this would cause considerable hardships, particularly for working individuals and elderly people in the locality.
