The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought responses from the Ministry of Railways and Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) on a plea alleging misuse of the online railway ticket reservation platforms.

A Division Bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia asked the counsel appearing for the government and railways to obtain instructions on the matter within a week.

The Court passed the order while hearing a plea filed by one Uttam Kumar. The plea, filed as a public interest litigation (PIL), seeks an independent audit of the Indian Railways' passenger reservation system, including online platforms operated through IRCTC, RailOne and allied services.

It raises concerns over the alleged misuse of booking quotas, unauthorised automated bookings, payment deductions without confirmed reservations and other systemic irregularities affecting passengers. Kumar also seeks scrutiny of whether the system provides any undisclosed advantage to authorised agents, intermediaries, automated systems, bots or bulk-booking mechanisms.

The PIL further seeks transparency in the allocation and utilisation of special quotas, RAC berths, waitlisted tickets and refunds.

"The Petition also raises issues concerning the financial and transactional integrity of the reservation system. Where a passenger’s account is debited but no ticket is generated, the passenger may suffer not merely temporary financial inconvenience but also the loss of an opportunity to secure scarce accommodation while the transaction remains unresolved. The Petition therefore seeks an effective and time-bound mechanism for transaction-status reconciliation and refund of all amounts legally refundable," the plea states.

Kumar has urged the Court to direct an independent technical and administrative audit of the reservation ecosystem.

The PIL has been filed through Advocates Kumud Jha, Shubham Shekhar, Vishal Kumar Singh and Paras Jaiswal.