Indian Railways holds back a limited number of berths in many trains as an Emergency Quota. The berths go first to Members of Parliament and other holders of a High Official Requisition traveling themselves. The rest are released on written requests from authorized officers.
In February 2023 the government told the Lok Sabha that requests forwarded by MPs for other travelers “are generally complied with.” In a reply to the Rajya Sabha in August 2024, the railway ministry spoke of “attempts to get accommodation released out of emergency quota on the authority of fake letter heads.”