New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday (November 26) observed that something creative needs to be done to control unruly air passengers and directed the Centre and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to frame more comprehensive guidelines.
A bench comprising Justice BR Gavai and Justice KV Viswanathan was hearing a plea filed by a 73-year-old woman, on whom a male co-passenger had allegedly urinated in an inebriated condition in a New York to Delhi Air India flight on November 26, 2022.
Instruct authorities concerned to examine and suitably modify existing guidelines: Apex Court
The bench, while hearing the plea of the woman, asked Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Aishwarya Bhati to instruct the authorities concerned to examine and suitably modify the existing guidelines to manage unruly passengers in aircraft in line with international norms.
Witnessed an incident on a flight having two drunk co-passengers, Justice Viswanathan narrated a recent incident
During the hearing, Justice Viswanathan said that he and another apex court judge Justice Surya Kant witnessed an incident on a flight having two drunk co-passengers.
“Recently when me and Justice Surya Kant were on a flight, there were two totally drunk male passengers. One locked himself in toilet and slept off and the other went out with a vomit bag. The crew was all women. No one could open the door for 30 to 35 minutes . The crew then requested my co-passenger to open the door and take him out to the seat. It was a 2.40 hours flight,” Justice Viswanathan said and added, “Something creative will have to be done. May be strategic seating or something.”
Septuagenarian woman had approached the top court seeking framing of guidelines
The septuagenarian woman had approached the top court seeking framing of guidelines to deal with misconduct of passengers on board air crafts and had prayed from the apex court to issue direction to the DGCA and airlines for framing Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to deal with such misconduct of passengers.
The apex court, while hearing the plea, had earlier in May last year had issued notices to the Centre, DGCA and all airlines, including Air India.
Shankar Mishra, who is accused of urinating on the 72-year-old petitioner woman in an inebriated condition in a New York to Delhi Air India flight on November 26, 2022, was granted bail by a Delhi court on January 31 last year.
