Archive · 22 Jul 2026
Indian Railways defends Tatkal booking system security
The Indian Railways has defended the security of its Tatkal ticket booking system, stating that it is robust and equipped with advanced cybersecurity measures.
The system requires Aadhaar authentication to prevent fraud and has deactivated millions of suspicious user IDs.
However, Congress MP Shyamkumar Barve raised concerns that the system is ineffective for ordinary passengers because tickets get booked quickly by brokers using software.
The government has also arrested thousands of touts in recent years to combat this issue.
Indian Railways claims its Tatkal ticket booking system is robust and secure with state-of-the-art cybersecurity controls.
Aadhaar authentication is required to prevent fake or unauthorized agent-controlled multiple user accounts.
Congress MP Shyamkumar Barve raised concerns that the system is ineffective for ordinary passengers due to broker nexus and software use.
About 3.04 crore suspicious user IDs have been deactivated and 6.22 crore are under revalidation.
22,676 touts have been arrested by the Railway Protection Force in the last five years.
- Who
- Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Congress MP Shyamkumar Barve
- What
- Defense of the Tatkal ticket booking system's security and concerns about its effectiveness
- When
- July 22, 2026
- Where
- Lok Sabha, New Delhi
- Why
- To address concerns about the ineffectiveness of the Tatkal ticket booking system for ordinary passengers
Government's Stance
Congress MP's Concerns
System Security
Government's Stance
The system is robust and secure with state-of-the-art cybersecurity controls.
Congress MP's Concerns
The system is ineffective for ordinary passengers due to broker nexus and software use.
Tatkal Ticket Booking
Government's Stance
Aadhaar authentication prevents fake or unauthorized agent-controlled multiple user accounts.
Congress MP's Concerns
Tickets get exhausted within minutes due to the use of software and broker nexus.
- Suspicious User IDs Deactivated
- 3.04 crore
- User IDs Under Revalidation
- 6.22 crore
- Touts Arrested
- 22,676
- Period of Touts Arrested
- 2021 to 2025 and 2026 up to June
- Cybersecurity Measures
- Network firewalls, intrusion prevention systems, application delivery controllers, web application firewalls