Date:14/03/2003 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2003/03/14/stories/2003031401631300.htm

National

SC upholds bifurcation of railway zones

By Our Legal Correspondent

NEW DELHI March 13. The Supreme Court today upheld the Centre's decision to bifurcate and create seven new railway zones of Bhubaneswar, Jaipur, Hajipur, Hubli, Jabalpur, Allahabad and Bilaspur.

A Bench comprising Justice S. Rajendra Babu and Justice G.P. Mathur upheld the decision accepting the submission of the Attorney General, Soli Sorabjee that the petitions were filed only for political considerations and not for improving the efficiency of the railways.

The Bench accepted the submission that the decision was taken by the Cabinet after duly considering the matter and dismissed the special leave petitions. The court also perused the documents in this regard.

The Bench observed that courts should not interfere in these executive decisions on economic matters unless it was shown that the decision had been taken with malafide intention or breach of constitutional provisions. The SLPs were filed by the Federation of Railway Officers Association and Biswajit Deb against a Delhi High Court and Calcutta High Court judgments rejecting their plea challenging the notifications of June 14 and July 4 for splitting the zones.