The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Central government to place before it a copy of the rules framed to regulate airfares in India. The Court passed today's order after the Central government said that rules in this regard have already been framed.
A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta was hearing a petition seeking regulatory guidelines to control unpredictable fluctuations in airfare.They are expected to be placed before both houses of the parliament within 30 days, the government said. The bench then directed that a copy of the rules be placed before it in two weeks.
"Considering the submissions, we grant two weeks time to place before this court the rules which have been framed, irrespective of whether they have been placed before the Parliament or not, in sealed cover. List on 3rd August," the Court ordered.
The petition before the Court was filed seeking directions to the Union government and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to frame binding rules on airfare pricing, cap surge pricing, regulate baggage and extra charges, fix cancellation and refund norms, and create an independent aviation regulator with powers to protect consumers.
During the earlier hearing of the case on January 21, the top court had flagged what it called exploitative pricing by airlines especially during festivals and major events like the Kumbh Mela. "Look at the exploitation you did during Kumbh," Justice Mehta had remarked during the hearing.
The Union government later told the Court that the matter was under examination at the highest levels.The counsel appearing for the Centre informed the bench that the draft rules are ready and they are in the process of translation. The counsel said the rules have to be placed before Parliament.The top court posted the matter for further hearing on August 3.The order of the top court came on a PIL filed by social activist S Laxminarayanan seeking a robust and independent regulator that ensures transparency and passenger protection across the civil aviation sector.
The plea also sought regulatory guidelines to control the "unpredictable fluctuations" in airfare and ancillary charges imposed by private airlines in India. Earlier, the Centre had told the apex court that the Ministry of Civil Aviation was actively considering the issues raised in the plea.
The apex court had termed the exorbitant rise in airfares by the airlines "exploitation", and sought a response from the Centre and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on the plea.All private airlines have, without any credible justification, reduced the free check-in baggage allowance for economy class passengers from 25 kg to 15 kg, "thereby converting what was earlier part of the ticketed service into a new revenue stream", the petition stated.The petition further claimed that currently, no authority has the power to review or cap airfares or ancillary fees, allowing the airlines to exploit consumers through hidden charges and unpredictable pricing.
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