New Delhi, Oct. 14 -- The Supreme Court has directed Indian Railways to extend insurance coverage to passengers buying train tickets at station counters from October 27, 2026. At present, passengers can get this facility when making train travel reservations online by paying a nominal additional amount.

A bench of Justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and R Mahadevan pronounced the order on October 6 while hearing a petition filed in the aftermath of the Odisha train accident that happened in June 2023.

The plea sought an inquiry into the crash, alleging that the failure to implement the Kavach train protection system had contributed to the tragedy. It also called for the safety system to be rolled out across the railway network.

In earlier he...