Infrastructure

Indian Railways revises penalties under the Jan Vishwas Act, 2026

Sunday, 21 June 2026 5 min readSource: The Indian ExpressArticle 4 of 13

Indian Railways has revised several passenger penalties under the Jan Vishwas Act, 2026, with the higher fines reported around June 21, 2026 (effective from June 20). The minimum penalty for ticketless travel (Sections 137 & 138 of the Railways Act, 1989) has been doubled from Rs 250 to Rs 500; the fine for male passengers travelling in coaches reserved for women (Section 162) has been raised from Rs 500 to Rs 2,500; and smoking, unauthorised hawking and begging (Section 167(3)) now attract a Rs 2,000 penalty. Carrying dangerous/prohibited goods can attract penalties of up to Rs 10,000.

Key Facts & Details

8 points

1
Penalties revised under the Jan Vishwas Act, 2026 (effective June 20, 2026).
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Ticketless travel minimum fine doubled to Rs 500 (from Rs 250) under Sections 137 & 138.
3
Men in ladies' coaches now face a Rs 2,500 fine (up from Rs 500) under Section 162.
4
Smoking, hawking and begging on trains attract a Rs 2,000 penalty (Section 167(3)).
5
Carrying dangerous/prohibited goods can attract up to Rs 10,000.

Deep Dive

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The Jan Vishwas Act is aimed at decriminalising minor offences while updating monetary penalties.
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The penalties are framed under the Railways Act, 1989.
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Higher fines aim to improve compliance, safety and passenger comfort.

Exam Focus

Under the Jan Vishwas Act 2026, what is the new minimum fine for ticketless travel on Indian Railways?

Exam Relevance & Angle

Railway rule changes and the Jan Vishwas Act are directly relevant to RRB exams and feature in banking/SSC GA; the specific revised fine amounts are exact 'fill-the-fact' hooks.

Target Exams

SBI POSBI ClerkIBPS POIBPS ClerkSSC CGLSSC CHSLRRB NTPCRRB Group DRRB ALPUPSC CSEState PCS

Background & Context

The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act is a legislative initiative to decriminalise minor offences and rationalise penalties across numerous laws to improve ease of living and doing business — often by converting jail terms into monetary fines and updating outdated penalty amounts. Passenger penalties on the railways are framed under the Railways Act, 1989; specific sections cover ticketless travel (137-138), unauthorised entry into reserved/ladies coaches (162) and nuisances like smoking and hawking (167). Periodic revision of these fines reflects inflation and a push for better compliance on India's vast rail network, the world's fourth-largest.