Daily, millions of people travel by train in India, and for those who prefer cheap methods, trains are the most appropriate means of transportation over great distances.
In the present day, people often buy their train tickets, either through the IRCTC website or through other websites, rather than at the railway station, due to the convenience.
Many also order tickets for their friends or relatives through their own IRCTC account. This raises the question: Is it possible to get into trouble when one books tickets for other people? Let’s find out.
The Rumor
Lately, an outrage went viral on social media, suggesting that a person gets jailed if he or she books tickets for others through a logged-in IRCTC account. This must have indicated that, because of different surnames, the booking of e-tickets also came with some restrictions.
IRCTC’s Response
The IRCTC wanted to convey to the public that this news item is entirely false and misleading. They insisted that their services entail ticket booking at their site and are in compliance with the directions issued by the Railway Board. The IRCTC encouraged people not to circulate such fake news.
What did the IRCTC say?
Recently, there was a post on social media saying that if a passenger’s surname is different, he or she cannot book a ticket for another passenger of a different surname on the IRCTC website or app. It went to the extent of advising that one could be punished for booking a ticket for a stranger whose surname is different.
Therefore, IRCTC posted a message on the social network X in which it informed people that all the news regarding restrictions on ticket bookings because of the different surnames is false.
Can I purchase a ticket for someone else?
Yes, you can. Subsequently, IRCTC assured the audience that one can book tickets for friends, family, and relatives by using the user’s ID number only.
They proposed that a user should be allowed to book up to twelve tickets every thirty days. If the user authenticates his or her identity through Aadhaar, then he or she can book a maximum 24 tickets in a month.
Important Note
It is noted that tickets sold through the personal user ID cannot be commercial ones. This is a crime and results in stringent action under Section 143 of the Railway Act of 1989. Even those who leave early enjoy free travel.
To sum up, it can be stated that booking train tickets for others on behalf of which you have your IRCTC account is not an issue as long as you are not selling tickets for a profit.
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