The breach of night-time restrictions was a serious violation. (Representational image)
A series of events which started with a seemingly innocent phone call led to a bizarre 12-year-long divorce battle between a railway station master and his wife and finally concluded in a Supreme Court ruling. The chain of events began when a misheard “OK” triggered a freight train to be dispatched down a restricted route, resulting in a Rs 3 crore loss to Indian Railways and a cascade of legal and personal consequences.
The station master, from Visakhapatnam, was on duty when he and his wife had a heated argument over the phone, a Times Of India report said. In frustration, he ended the call with, “We’ll talk at home, OK?” Unfortunately, his work microphone was still on, and his colleague misinterpreted the word “OK” as permission to send a freight train into Maoist-affected territory.
Though no accident occurred, the breach of night-time restrictions was a serious violation, leading to a substantial financial loss to the railways.
The station master was suspended, putting further strain on his already strained marriage. The couple’s relationship had been troubled for years, partly due to the wife’s lingering feelings for her ex-lover, which caused tension at home. Despite the husband’s efforts to resolve the issues, the wife continued talking to her ex, ToI reported.
The suspension pushed the officer to file for divorce in a Visakhapatnam family court. In response, his wife accused him and his family members of cruelty and harassment, filing a complaint under Section 498A of the IPC. She petitioned the Supreme Court to transfer the case to Durg, where her family lived.
The divorce proceedings continued in the Chhattisgarh High Court, where the wife’s accusations of infidelity and dowry harassment were found to be false. The court determined that her behaviour, including the phone argument that led to the “OK” incident, amounted to mental cruelty. The high court reversed the family court’s decision, finally granting the station master the divorce he sought after 12 years.
