Delhi HC Rejects PIL Seeking Higher Compensation in IndiGo Flight Cancellation Row

New Delhi, Dec 17: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday refused to entertain a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking directions to the Centre and IndiGo airline to pay four times the full ticket price as compensation to passengers affected by large-scale flight cancellations in November and December following the rollout of new Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela said the court had already taken cognisance of the issue in an earlier PIL and granted liberty to the petitioner to intervene in the pending matter.

“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,” the bench observed while declining to entertain the petition and disposing of it.

The petition was filed by the Centre for Accountability and Systemic Change (CASC) through its president, Prof Vikram Singh, who argued that the IndiGo flight cancellation crisis had caused widespread disruption across the aviation sector. The plea contended that thousands of passengers were left stranded due to sudden and last-minute cancellations.

Advocate Virag Gupta, appearing for the petitioner, submitted that airports witnessed chaos, including misdirected baggage, prolonged delays, poor communication from airlines and confusion over refunds and rebooking options.

The PIL also sought an inquiry by a retired judge or the Lokpal to identify alleged negligence and lapses by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) that contributed to the crisis.

Earlier, on December 10, the high court had questioned the central government over its failure to take timely action to prevent the crisis triggered by IndiGo flight cancellations, asking why the situation was allowed to worsen with lakhs of passengers stranded and other airlines charging exorbitant fares.

The court was hearing another PIL seeking directions to the Centre to provide support and refunds to passengers affected by the cancellation of hundreds of IndiGo flights. The airline has been under scrutiny from both the government and passengers after cancelling a large number of flights since December 2, citing regulatory changes in pilots’ flight duty and rest norms. (Agencies)