Supreme Court on Monday refused to take up a plea challenging a sharp increase in airfare, advising the petitioner to avoid travelling by flight. The bench of Justice Vikam Nath moved on to the next case without passing any order.
During the hearing, the counsel for the petitioner argued that airfares on some routes had shot up to 700 per cent. The petitioner urged the court that air travel should be treated as an essential service.
The petitioner also invoked Article 14 of the Indian Constitution, arguing that a steep rise in fare prices is a violation of equality before the law. According to a report by Live Law, the petitioner said, "The airfares have increased to 700%. It is an essential service. Violation of Article 14."
Justice Vikram Nath, who was hearing the petition, reacted with a one-line response, saying, "Don’t travel by air. Next case." The top court is already hearing a separate petition filed by social activist S Laxminarayanan.
The plea seeks a robust and independent regulator that ensures transparency and passenger protection across the civil aviation sector and regulatory guidelines to control "unpredictable fluctuations" in airfare and ancillary charges imposed by private airlines in India.
In the last hearing in the case on October 16, the Centre informed the Supreme Court that it has granted administrative approval to rules under a 2024 legislation aimed at regulating India's aviation sector, and is likely to be published in two weeks.
On October 31, the Union Civil Aviation Ministry on Monday notified new rules under the Bharatiya Vayuyan Niyam, 2026. The new rules empower the government to intervene in airline ticket pricing during extraordinary situations in the public interest.
The Centre can now issue directions to airlines on fares if it considers intervention necessary. However, such directions must be proportionate to the situation and remain effective only for a specified period.