Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed the railways to strictly implement the cap on the maximum number of passengers to be allowed in general compartments and ensure that platform tickets are mandatory, in the aftermath of the stampede at the New Delhi station that killed at least 18 people on February 15.

“If the legal provisions were perhaps implemented adequately, such incidents of stampede could be avoided,” the division bench of Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyay and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela said.

Observing that the provisions were neglected, the court questioned why the number of general compartment tickets sold on the day of the stampede exceeded the maximum number of passengers allowed in such bogies. “That is a problem,” the bench said.

The court was hearing a public interest petition filed by a lawyers’ organisation called Arth Vidhi seeking the implementation of the provisions of Sections 57 and 147 of the Railways Act, 1989.

Section 57 of the Railways Act mandates every rail administration to fix the maximum number of passengers in each general compartment while Section 147 makes platform tickets mandatory for anyone who doesn’t have a reservation ticket to access the platforms.

The high court asked the railways to examine the issues raised by the petitioner and file an affidavit detailing the Railway Board’s decision.

The petitioner had submitted that these rules should have been strictly enforced in view of the ongoing Mahakumbh. “Even in normal circumstances, these rules are not enforced and we see crowded trains and platforms,” the petitioner said.

The PIL added that the stampede could have been avoided if the railway authorities had followed the rules, safety manuals and accident-related guidelines.

The court said the PIL was not confined to the recent stampede and sought the implementation of the existing legal provisions.

Solicitor-general Tushar Mehta, representing the Indian Railways, said the matter was not taken in an adversarial manner and the railways were bound to follow the law.

He said there was an “unprecedented” situation and assured the court that the issues raised in the PIL would be considered at the highest level.

Following Mehta’s assurance, the court posted the matter for further hearing on March 26.