New Delhi, Dec 15 The Supreme Court on Monday declined to entertain a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking urgent judicial intervention into an “unprecedented operational collapse” of IndiGo Airlines, which faced significant flight disruptions earlier this month.
Observing that the Delhi High Court is already seized of the matter, a Bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant granted liberty to advocate Narendra Mishra, the petitioner-in-person, to raise his grievances before the High Court.
The Bench, also comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul Pancholi, requested the Delhi High Court to permit him to intervene in the pending proceedings.
At the very outset, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi informed the apex court that a PIL relating to the recent IndiGo flight disruptions is pending before the Delhi High Court and that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has also constituted a committee to look into the issue.
While acknowledging that the issue raised concerns the larger public interest, the CJI Kant-led Bench clarified that the petitioner could approach the Supreme Court again if any grievance survives after the High Court’s order.
“We appreciate your concern, but instead of two parallel proceedings, you should go to the Delhi High Court. If the High Court does not address your grievance, you can come to us,” the apex court said, adding that the High Court, as a constitutional court, is fully competent to address the issues involved.
The PIL had alleged that mass flight cancellations and severe delays by IndiGo Airlines had escalated into a “humanitarian crisis” at major airports, leaving passengers, including senior citizens, infants and those with medical needs, without food, water, rest areas or emergency assistance.
"The situation has transcended a mere contractual dispute between airline and consumer. It has become a matter of grave public injury and a clear violation of the Fundamental Right to Life and Liberty (Article 21) of the citizens of India," the plea stated. It further contended that the chaos was triggered by planning lapses during the rollout of Phase-II of revised Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms for pilots and alleged that neither IndiGo nor the DGCA exercised adequate anticipatory oversight.
Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court, while hearing a separate PIL on the issue, has pulled up the Centre over how the situation was allowed to precipitate into a nationwide turmoil affecting lakhs of passengers and the national economy.
The matter is listed for further hearing on January 22, 2026.
"We appreciate the steps taken by the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation and DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation). However, what bothers us is how such a situation was allowed to precipitate, leaving lakhs of passengers unattended at airports. Such a situation is not confined to causing inconvenience to the passengers but also affects the economy of the country, as in the present day, fast movement of passengers is an important aspect to keep the economy functioning," observed a bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedelain in its order dated December 10.
On the operational front, IndiGo on Saturday said it was witnessing steady normalisation, having operated more than 2,000 flights for the second consecutive day. The airline added that it operated over 2,050 flights on December 12, with only two cancellations due to technical issues, and all affected customers were reaccommodated in alternate flights immediately.
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