Air India urination case: Supreme Court asks DGCA to modify norms for unruly passengers
The top court bench was hearing a plea filed by a 73-year-old woman, on whom a male co-passenger allegedly urinated on board an Air India flight in 2022
The Supreme Court has asked the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to frame a more comprehensive guidelines to control unruly air passengers, stating that “something creative” had to be done, PTI reported. The top court bench comprising Justice BR Gavai and KV Viswanathan was hearing a plea filed by a 73-year-old woman, on whom a male co-passenger allegedly urinated in a drunken state on board an Air India flight in November, 2022.
The woman had sought directions to the Centre, the DGCA and all the airlines to frame a standard operating procedure (SOP) for dealing with such cases. During the hearing, the bench asked solicitor general Aishwaray Bhati to direct the authorities concerned to examine and suitably modify the existing guidelines on unruly passengers, in line with the international norms.
"We had a recent experience. Two passengers were fully drunk. One went to the washroom and slept off. The other one who was outside had a bag to vomit. The crew was all women and for about 30 to 35 minutes no one could open the door. The crew then requested my co-passenger to open the door and take him out to the seat. It was a 2.40 hour-long flight," Justice Viswanathan said.
The judge remarked something creative needed to be done.
In May last year, the Supreme Court directed the Centre, DGCA and all airlines, including Air India, on the woman's plea.
The woman's counsel submitted the DGCA filed a reply stating everything was in place but the petitioner had suggestions that could be incorporated.
‘Guidelines and circulars notified to control unruly passengers’: Centre
Bhati, representing the Centre, informed the bench that an affidavit was filed and guidelines and circulars were notified for controlling unruly passengers.
The woman filed a PIL in March, 2023, saying she was constrained to moved the top court as Air India and the DGCA failed to treat her with care and responsibility after the unpleasant experience.
The woman referred to seven instances of passenger misconduct on board between 2014 and 2023, alleging they were not dealt with properly by the airline concerned.
The PIL sought a direction to the Centre and the DGCA to ensure that civil aviation requirements norms adhered to the highest standards laid down internationally.
(With PTI reports)
