IndiGo fiasco: SC refuses to entertain PIL, tells petitioner to approach Delhi HC

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday declined to entertain a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking urgent judicial intervention into an “unprecedented operational collapse” of IndiGo Airlines, which faced significant flight disruptions earlier this month.

Observing that the Delhi High Court is already seized of the matter, a Bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant granted liberty to advocate Narendra Mishra, the petitioner-in-person, to raise his grievances before the High Court.

The Bench, also comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul Pancholi, requested the Delhi High Court to permit him to intervene in the pending proceedings.

At the very outset, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi informed the apex court that a PIL relating to the recent IndiGo flight disruptions is pending before the Delhi High Court and that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has also constituted a committee to look into the issue.

While acknowledging that the issue raised concerns the larger public interest, the CJI Kant-led Bench clarified that the petitioner could approach the Supreme Court again if any grievance survives after the High Court’s order.