IndiGo Crisis: Supreme Court Refuses To Hear Plea On Flight Cancellations, Directs Petitioner To Delhi High Court

The Supreme Court on Monday rejected to take up a request for intervention by means of justice in the ongoing crisis that involved the cancelation of an IndiGo flight and ordered the person who filed the petition to move to the Delhi High Court.

A three-judge bench that included the Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M. Pamcholi remarked that an almost identical Public Interest Litigation (PIL) relating to the interruption of IndiGo's flights is waiting for a decision at the Delhi High Court.The court stated that it would be appropriate for all related issues to be examined there first.

The plea was filed by petitioner Narendra Mishra, who argued that the matter involved serious public inconvenience and required immediate intervention by the apex court. However, the bench noted that the high court is also a constitutional court fully empowered to address the grievances raised.

Supreme Court’s Observation

The Court stated that all the matters raised in the petition are already being deliberated in the Delhi High Court. The bench allowed the applicant to participate in the current proceedings of the high court and put forward all the arguments there. It also mentioned that if any of the applicant's complaints are not resolved, he would be allowed to file a petition to the Supreme Court later on.

Mukul Rohatgi, a senior advocate representing IndiGo, told the court that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has formed a panel of experts to look into the reasons for large-scale flight cancellations and inconveniences to the passengers.

Delhi High Court Examining The Matter Already

On December 10, 2022, the Delhi High Court, gave the central government a strong rebuke for not taking prompt actions to stop the crisis. The court did not understand the reasoning behind such a severe situation resulting in lakhs of passengers being left stranded and subsequently, having to pay a lot for the alternative flights.

The Delhi High Court is presently dealing with a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that seeks to direct the Government to grant refunds, assistance, and compensations to passengers who were affected by the large-scale cancellation of flights operated by IndiGo.

Background Of The Crisis

IndiGo has come under fire from both passengers and authorities after it took the drastic step of cancelling hundreds of flights throughout the country. The airline named the pilot duty-hour regulations changes as the major reason for the disruptions. As a result of this, there were huge delays, and airports were packed full of passengers; financially passengers lost a lot too.

The Supreme Court had previously refused to give an urgent hearing in the case, stating that the Centre and the aviation regulator were already making efforts to solve the problem.