The Delhi High Court on Wednesday refused to entertain a new public interest litigation seeking enhanced compensation for passengers affected by IndiGo flight cancellations following the rollout of new Flight Duty Time Limitation rules, saying the issues raised were already under consideration in an existing case.
A bench led by Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela said it had already taken cognisance of the disruption caused by large-scale flight cancellations in another pending PIL and saw no reason to proceed with a separate petition on the same issue. The court granted liberty to the petitioner to seek intervention in the earlier matter and disposed of the case.
“We don’t see any reason as to why the concerns raised here cannot be taken up in the earlier petition,” the bench observed while dictating its order. It noted that established PIL jurisprudence allows courts to expand the scope of an existing petition to address related public interest concerns.
The petition was filed by the Centre for Accountability and Systemic Change (CASC) through its president, Prof Vikram Singh. CASC had sought directions to the Centre and IndiGo airline to pay compensation amounting to four times the full ticket price to passengers whose flights were cancelled in November and December after the new Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms came into effect.
Appearing for the petitioner, advocate Virag Gupta told the court that the wave of last-minute cancellations had caused severe hardship to thousands of travellers. He pointed to overcrowded airports, misdirected baggage, long delays, and a lack of clear communication from airlines, leaving passengers confused about refunds and rebooking options.
The plea also sought an independent inquiry by a retired judge or the Lokpal to examine alleged negligence and lapses by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) that, according to the petitioner, contributed to the crisis.
The High Court had earlier, on December 10, questioned the Centre over what it described as a failure to take timely action to prevent the situation from escalating. At that time, the court asked why the crisis was allowed to precipitate, with lakhs of passengers stranded and other airlines charging high fares amid the disruption.
IndiGo has been under sustained scrutiny from both the government and passengers after cancelling hundreds of flights since December 2, citing regulatory changes related to pilots’ flight duty and rest requirements. The earlier PIL, which remains pending, seeks directions to the Centre to ensure support and refunds for passengers affected by those cancellations.
