New Delhi, 10 December (H.S.): The Delhi High Court on Wednesday took cognizance of the ongoing crisis involving IndiGo Airlines and directed both the Centre and the airline to file their responses. A bench headed by Chief Justice D. K. Upadhyaya observed that IndiGo should have appointed an adequate number of pilots to ensure compliance with Flight Duty Limitations but appeared to have failed to do so in time.

The court remarked that the petition, filed by Akhil Rana and Utkarsh Sharma, lacked adequate preparation, yet it decided to examine the matter in view of public interest.

Earlier, on December 8, the Supreme Court had declined to grant an urgent hearing on the petition. On Wednesday, the matter was mentioned before Chief Justice Surya Kant by a lawyer, seeking an early hearing on the issue.

Chief Justice Surya Kant noted that the Government of India had already taken cognizance of the matter and initiated appropriate measures, adding that immediate court intervention was not necessary.

However, the Delhi High Court expressed concern, questioning the Centre’s reluctance to act against the airline. The bench asked, “Are you so helpless that you hesitate to take action against the airline?”The court further reprimanded the authorities for allowing a situation to arise in which thousands of passengers were reportedly stranded at airports across the country without assistance. It also emphasized the need for stricter oversight to prevent similar crises in the future.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar