law: The Railway Claims Tribunal Act, 1987
  17. Limitation
  1.  The
  
  Claims Tribunal shall not admit an application for any claim-
  a.  
  
    Under
  
  sub-clause (i) of clause (a) of sub-section (1) of section 13 unless the
  
  application is made within three years from the date on which the goods in
  
  question were entrusted to the railway administration for carriage by railway;
  b.  
  
    Under
  
  sub-clause (ii) of clause (a) of sub-section (1) [or, as the case may be,
  
  subsection (IA)] of section 13 unless the application is made within one year
  
  of occurrence of the accident;
  c.  
  
    Under
  
  clause (b) of sub-section (1) of section 13 unless the application is made
  
  within three years from the date on which the fare or freight is paid to the
  
  railway administration:
  Provided that no application for any claim
  
  referred to in sub-clause (i) of clause (a) of sub-section (1) of section 13
  
  shall be preferred to the Claims Tribunal until the expiration of three months
  
  next after the date on which the intimation of the claim has been preferred
  
  under section 78B of the Railways Act.
  1.  
  2.  Notwithstanding
  
  anything contained in sub-section (1), an application may be entertained after
  
  the period specified in sub-section (1) if the applicant satisfies the Claims
  
  Tribunal that he had sufficient cause for not making the application within
  
  such period.