2023 train shooting case: Sacked RPF constable seeks bail, claims disorder

Dismissed Railway Protection Force (RPF) constable Chetansinh Chaudhary — accused of killing his senior colleague and three passengers in one of the most disturbing attacks on the rail network in recent years — on Monday sought bail, asserting that he is suffering from “white matter disease” and “delusional disorder”.

The application, moved through his advocates Amit Mishra and Pankaj Ghildiyal, was filed before a Mumbai sessions court while Chaudhary remains lodged in Thane Jail.

The case arises from the 31 July 2023 shooting aboard the Jaipur–Mumbai Central Express, when Chaudhary allegedly shot dead assistant sub-inspector Tika Ram Meena before walking through the train coach and killing three passengers — all of them Muslim men travelling separately.

Their deaths, along with Chaudhary’s recorded statements and behaviour on the train, provoked national outrage and concerns about motive. After the shooting, he was seen delivering communal remarks and, according to the prosecution, phoned his uncle to tell him to “watch the news”, suggesting awareness of the gravity of his actions even as events were unfolding.

Chaudhary was arrested near Mira Road station after passengers pulled the emergency chain to stop the train. He was still armed with his service weapon, and witnesses later described a scene of chaos, fear and disbelief as the accused moved through the compartment.

In a September hearing, a Muslim woman travelling on the train told the court that Chaudhary had held a gun to her head and forced her to chant 'Jai Mata di'.

His new bail plea claims that he has no memory of the events and lacked the mental capacity to comprehend or control his conduct at the time. According to the petition, Chaudhary suffers from “extreme mental strokes” and is a “partial mental patient/mentally challenged” individual who becomes “whimsical” and slips into “loops of illusions”.

It asserts that he is diagnosed with delusional disorder — which can involve fixed false beliefs — and with “white matter disease”, a broad term for degeneration of the brain’s white matter that may impair cognition, memory, decision-making and impulse regulation.

“Whatever the crime occurred, the accused does not have any knowledge of the same,” the application states, arguing that his neurological and psychiatric conditions fundamentally undermine the criminal intent alleged by prosecutors.

The plea also cites procedural grounds, noting that the charge sheet has been filed and custodial interrogation is no longer required. Chaudhary previously sought bail in December 2023 on similar medical grounds, but a sessions court rejected that request after finding no adequate basis to release him. His renewed bid comes as the trial court is currently recording the testimony of witnesses, including passengers who were present during the shooting.

Prosecutors are expected to oppose the latest application, underlining both the severity of the charges and the earlier rejection. The court will now assess whether Chaudhary’s claimed disorders — and the defence’s argument that he lacked awareness of his actions — merit bail at this advanced stage of the proceedings.

With PTI inputs