Indigo flight crisis: Delhi HC refuses to entertain PIL seeking increased compensation to passengers

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday refused to entertain a PIL seeking to direct the Centre and Indigo airline to pay four times the compensation of the full ticket price to all passengers whose tickets were cancelled during November and December after the new Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) rollout.

A bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela said it has already taken cognisance of the issue in another public interest litigation (PIL) and granted liberty to the petitioner to seek intervention in the pending petition.

"We don't see any reason as to why the concerns raised here cannot be taken up in the earlier petition. The jurisprudence developed by the Supreme Court and high courts around PILs permits the court to expand the scope of a petition in public interest.

"We decline to entertain this petition with liberty to the petitioner to seek intervention in the pending petition. The writ petition stands disposed of," the bench said while dictating its order.

According to the petitioner, Centre for Accountability and Systemic Change (CASC), through its president, Prof Vikram Singh, the Indigo fiasco has triggered widespread concern across the aviation sector, and due to sudden disruption and last-minute cancellation of thousands of flights, stranded passengers faced severe inconvenience.

Advocate Virag Gupta, representing the petitioner, said airports were overflowing with misdirected pieces of baggage, excessive holdups, inadequate communication from the airlines and confusion regarding refunds or re-booking options.

The plea also sought an enquiry by a retired judge or Lokpal to identify the negligence and lapses of the Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in precipitating the crisis.

The high court, on December 10, had questioned the central government for not taking timely action to check the crisis caused by IndiGo flight cancellations and asked why the situation was allowed to precipitate, with lakhs of passengers stranded and other airlines charging hefty fares.

It was hearing a PIL seeking directions to the Centre to provide support and refunds to passengers affected by the cancellation of hundreds of flights by IndiGo.

The airline has been facing heat from both the government and the passengers for cancelling hundreds of flights since December 2, citing regulatory changes in the pilots' flight duty and regulations norms.