The Supreme Court has been hearing a public interest litigation against arbitrary airfare charges by the airlines in India. In line with that, the government on Monday told the top court that the draft rules of the Indian Aircraft Act, 2024, are being finalised expeditiously.

The plea seeks transparency in airfares and protection of passenger interests. The Central government stated that these regulations are intended to modernise the Indian aviation sector and protect the interests of passengers. The Centre requested three weeks to finalise the rules, but the Supreme Court ordered it to be completed within one week.

The court also indicated that strict action could be taken against airlines that do not follow the rules.

Draft was presented in a sealed envelope

The Centre presented the draft rules in a sealed cover before a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta. Additional Solicitor General Anil Kaushik said final discussions on the rules were underway and the government would finalise them within three weeks.

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However, the bench insisted on early disposal of the matter and fixed the next hearing on September 7.

PIL seeks string, independent regulator

The case relates to a public interest litigation filed by social activist S. Lakshminarayanan, who has sought a strong and independent regulator for the civil aviation sector to monitor the erratic fluctuations in airfares and additional charges.

Senior advocate Ravindra Srivastava, appearing for the petitioner, said the current system would continue until the new rules are implemented. He questioned the will of the authorities and the effectiveness of the existing system, alleging that airlines were charging exorbitant fares from passengers.

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He also cited the statement of the Civil Aviation Minister in Parliament, in which it was said that the government cannot fix any limit on airfares.

After reviewing the draft presented in a sealed cover, the bench said that while it suggested a mechanism, it was not fully convinced about the proposed regulatory framework. The court directed the Centre to finalise the rules expeditiously.

(With PTI Inputs)