The High Court has directed that every train must allocate a separate compartment for women during the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha travel period. The order was issued on Tuesday afternoon by a bench comprising Justice Fahmida Kader and Justice Md Asif Hasan. Lawyer Md Azmal Hossain Khokon represented the petitioner in court and confirmed the directive.
According to the lawyer, Section 64 of the Railway Act of 1890 mandates that each train must have a designated compartment for women, and for journeys exceeding 50 miles, that compartment should include a toilet. Section 119 of the same law also prescribes penalties for unauthorized entry into such compartments. The directive follows a 2021 writ petition filed by lawyer Momtaz Parvin, which led to a High Court rule on March 10 asking why the legal provision for women’s compartments should not be enforced.
The latest order was given in response to a supplementary petition seeking relief for women travelers during Eid, as the earlier rule on implementing the law remains pending before the court.