NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday in its order refused to entertain a plea in connection with the mass cancellation and delaying of IndiGo airline flights, asking the petitioner to approach the Delhi High Court instead for relief.
"We appreciate the issue but instead of parallel proceedings, you go to High Court," said the three-judge bench of the apex court, headed by the Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant, and also comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi.
While noting that a case related to the Indigo flight crisis was pending before the Delhi HC for disposal, the top court on Monday requested the HC to allow the petitioner, Narendra Mishra, to intervene. "The petitioner, advocate Narendra Mishra, is at liberty to join the proceedings before the High Cout," the court added.
Indigo was severely hit by a shortage of pilots combined with its failure to implement the new Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL), forcing flyers to navigate through chaos and confusion across various airports in the country.
During the course of the hearing on Monday, Mishra insisted that passengers continued to face difficulties. The court, in response, acknowledged that though the matter is of grave concern, it cannot intervene since a constitutional court (in the Delhi HC) is already hearing the matter.
"It is also a constitutional court. If your grievances are not redressed then you can come here," the bench of the apex court said.
While refusing to entertain and pass any order in Mishra's petition, the court noted that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has already formed an expert committee to look into the Indigo situatuion.