The Madhya Pradesh High Court declined to dismiss a case involving a lawyer posing as a Travelling Ticket Examiner (TTE) and soliciting money from passengers at Bhopal railway station.
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BHOPAL: Recently, The Madhya Pradesh High Court decided against quashing a criminal case concerning a lawyer who was accused of impersonating a Travelling Ticket Examiner (TTE) and soliciting money from unsuspecting passengers at the Bhopal railway station. This incident, which drew considerable attention, unfolded on the busy platform number 2 of the station, where the accused, dressed in an advocate’s black coat, approached passengers claiming he was a TTE.
Justice Anuradha Shukla, presiding over the matter, emphasized the complexity of the case, stating-
“The argument put forth strongly here is that the accused did not possess any money nor did he wear any badges suggesting he was a railway employee, and no statements from passengers were recorded. However, these matters pertain to factual evidence and can only be assessed during the trial. It is the responsibility of the trial court to determine whether the prosecution can establish its case based on statements from railway employees,” stated.
highlighting the necessity of a full trial to resolve the disputed facts.
Background:
On June 21, 2021, following multiple complaints from passengers who reported that Rohit Kumar Mishra, the accused and a resident of Kaushambhi, Uttar Pradesh, was posing as a TTE. Upon being confronted by a railway official, Mishra was found in possession of an Excess Fare Ticket (EFT) Book, which, upon further inspection, was revealed to bear an official railway number, linking it to the North-Central Railway, Prayagraj Checking Unit.
Despite the suspect’s assertions and a peculiar discovery during investigations—that the book was actually a mere money receipt book and not an EFT book, as clarified in a report by the North-Central Railway dated January 3, 2022—the narrative took a serious turn when the defence argued the mental state of the accused.
“Hence, regardless of whether the seized book from the accused was not an EFT Book, but rather a money receipt book, it evidently implied its association with the checking unit of the North-Central Railway in the Prayagraj region,”
-reasoned the Court, addressing the implications of the findings.
- The defence counsel, Advocate Anuvaad Shrivastava.
- Advocate Vineeta Sharma, representing the State.
The court’s decision to not quash the FIR but instead let the trial process determine the veracity of the allegations reflects the judiciary’s careful approach in dealing with cases involving complex human behaviors and potential misrepresentations of authority.
“At this point, the mere absence of passenger statements does not lead to the conclusion that the applicant was unjustly implicated in the case,”
– the Court noted
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