New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday declined to entertain a public interest litigation seeking judicial intervention in the crisis triggered by the cancellation of hundreds of IndiGo flights, noting that the matter is already under consideration before the Delhi High Court.
A three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant said parallel proceedings should be avoided and advised petitioner Narendra Mishra to pursue the issue before the Delhi High Court. The Bench granted him liberty to intervene in the petition pending there.
“We appreciate the issue, but instead of parallel proceedings, you should approach the Delhi High Court,” the CJI observed, adding that the High Court is a constitutional court fully competent to adjudicate the matter. The Bench further said the petitioner could approach the Supreme Court again if his grievances were not addressed after the High Court’s decision.
Mishra had sought directions to the Centre to provide relief and refunds to passengers affected by the large-scale flight cancellations and had also demanded a court-monitored probe into the crisis. He submitted that nearly 300 flights were being cancelled daily, causing severe hardship to passengers.
At the outset, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi informed the Bench that the issue was already pending before the Delhi High Court and that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation had constituted a committee to examine the disruption. The Supreme Court noted that once the High Court was seized of the matter, entertaining a PIL at the apex level could hinder proceedings there.
Earlier, on December 8, the Supreme Court had described the chaos caused by the large number of flight cancellations as a “serious matter” but refrained from immediate intervention, pointing out that the government had already taken cognisance of the situation.
Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court has questioned the Centre and IndiGo over the handling of the crisis. On December 10, a Bench led by Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya asked why timely action was not taken, allowing the situation to escalate and leave lakhs of passengers stranded. The High Court also expressed concern over other airlines allegedly exploiting the crisis by sharply increasing fares.
The High Court has directed the Centre and the airline to take steps to adequately compensate affected passengers and sought an explanation on whether authorities were “helpless” despite IndiGo’s failure to implement the Flight Duty Time Limitation rules, including pilot rest norms, by the November 1 deadline.
Observing that the crisis had not only inconvenienced passengers but also impacted the economy, the High Court said unchecked disruptions to air travel could have wider consequences. It questioned how ticket prices surged from around ₹5,000 to as high as ₹35,000–₹39,000 during the crisis and asked how such fare hikes were permitted.
The matter before the Delhi High Court has been posted for further hearing on January 22. The court has also directed that if the committee probing the disruption has completed its inquiry, the report should be submitted in a sealed cover.
