India, Oct. 23 -- For a tragedy-struck widow, who lost her husband in a train accident in 2002, the Supreme Court went the extra mile to ensure that she is duly compensated by the Railways after years of struggle.

Saynokta Devi's husband Vijay Singh had a valid railway ticket from Bakhtiyarpur station to go to Patna by the Bhagalpur-Danapur Intercity Express on March 21, 2002. Still, he accidentally fell down from the running train at the originating station itself, due to heavy rush inside the compartment and died instantly.

What followed was a legal battle for the next two decades, as Devi's claim for compensation was turned down by the Railway Claims Tribunal and the Patna High Court on the ground that the deceased was of unsound min...