The Supreme Court on Monday refused an urgent hearing on a plea alleging a 700 per cent airfare surge. When the advocate argued the issue, the bench said, "Don't travel by air." A separate case seeking stronger fare regulation remains pending, with new government rules expected by November 16.
The Supreme Court declined an urgent hearing on alleged 700 per cent airfare increases. The decision comes as a separate case seeking stronger fare regulation remains pending.
The Supreme Court on Monday refused to urgently list a plea alleging that airfares had risen by nearly 700 per cent, telling the petitioner, "Don't travel by air," news agency Press Trust of India reported.
An advocate sought an urgent hearing of the matter before a bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and Aparesh Kumar Singh. "The aviation fare has increased by 700 per cent," the advocate said. The bench responded, "Don't travel by air."
The advocate then argued that air travel was an essential service and said, "It's a violation of Article 14." Article 14 of the Constitution deals with equality before the law.
The Supreme Court is already hearing a separate petition filed by social activist S Laxminarayanan, who has sought a strong and independent regulator to ensure transparency and passenger protection in the civil aviation sector. The plea has also sought regulatory guidelines to control "unpredictable fluctuations" in airfares and additional charges imposed by private airlines in India.
During a hearing on that petition on October 16, the Centre told the court that administrative approval had been granted for rules under a 2024 law aimed at regulating India's aviation sector. The rules were likely to be published within two weeks, PTI reported.
The court asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to place the published rules under the Bharatiya Vayuyan Adhiniyam, 2024, before it at the next hearing on November 16.
On August 17, the Centre told the Supreme Court that it had fast-tracked the framing of rules under the Bharatiya Vayuyan Adhiniyam to modernise India's aviation sector. In November last year, the court sought responses from the Centre and others on Laxminarayanan's petition.
While hearing the matter in January, the court said it would intervene over "unpredictable fluctuations" in airfares and flagged steep increases during festivals. It described the sharp fare hikes by airlines as "exploitation" and asked the Centre and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation to respond to the petition.
The court has declined an urgent hearing of the latest plea over the alleged 700 per cent rise in airfares, while the separate case seeking regulation of fare fluctuations and passenger protection remains pending.