CJI Surya Kant springs into action: Supreme Court intervenes in IndiGo crisis, summons lawyer on holiday

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): The ongoing crisis at Indigo Airlines has now taken a serious turn, and the matter has reached the doorstep of the country's highest court. In view of the immense inconvenience being faced by thousands of passengers and the nationwide uproar, the Supreme Court has indicated its intention to intervene immediately. The gravity of the situation and the urgency of the matter can be gauged from the fact that Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant immediately summoned the petitioner's lawyer to his residence despite Saturday being a holiday.

In fact, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Supreme Court regarding the frequent flight cancellations and stranded passengers at airports. The petition, which described the current situation as a "humanitarian crisis," urged the court to hear the case immediately. Taking immediate cognizance of this demand, the Chief Justice summoned the lawyer to ensure a special bench is constituted today to hear the case. The petitioner argued that this mismanagement by the airline is a direct violation of passengers' fundamental rights guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution.

IndiGo's operations remain severely disrupted for the fourth consecutive day. On Friday, the airline cancelled over 1,000 flights, the impact of which is still visible today. This has not only left thousands of passengers stranded, but also caused fares on other airlines to skyrocket, and trains have suddenly become crowded. Aviation regulator DGCA on Friday granted IndiGo some concessions to normalize operations and even formed a four-member high-level committee to investigate the causes of the crisis, but passenger suffering shows no signs of abating.

A petition filed in the Supreme Court accuses IndiGo management of mismanaging the new pilot duty rules (FDTL). The petition demands that affected passengers be provided with alternative travel arrangements and adequate compensation. The entire nation is now watching the Supreme Court to see if it issues a strong order in this matter, providing immediate relief to distressed passengers.