The Supreme Court on Wednesday told the Uttarakhand High Court to quickly decide two separate petitions filed by aviation firm Deccan Charters Pvt Ltd. The petition challenges the repeated temporary takeover of its private helipad at Govind Ghat by the state government.
A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant, and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi, directed the Registrar General of the Uttarakhand High Court in Nainital to seek instructions from the Chief Justice and list the two pending petitions before an appropriate bench in the week starting March 9, 2026.
The Supreme Court further asked the high court bench hearing the matter to decide the pleas within two months.
Referring to the upcoming Char Dham Yatra in the state, the bench said if the pleas were not decided within the given time, the aviation company can approach the Apex Court again for revival of its petition. In its plea filed through advocate Smarhar Singh, Deccan Charters Pvt Ltd termed the repeated takeover of its private helipad by the state as “illegal, unabated and unconstitutional”.
The company alleged that the state government bypassed due process to hand over the operational helipad to a competitor, Pawan Hans Limited. It also claimed that the high court had not decided the matter despite several urgent pleas. Deccan Charters has been operating helicopter shuttle services for the Shri Hemkund Sahibji Yatra since 2011.
The firm holds a valid lease for the Govind Ghat helipad in Chamoli district until March 2027. However, it alleged that since May 2024, the state administration has repeatedly taken over the helipad under the pretext of temporary acquisition during the Yatra season.
According to the plea, the first takeover by the state government was carried out on May 23, 2024. Deccan Charters challenged this action before the high court in 2024. The second acquisition took place on June 27, 2025. The company said while the first case was still pending, the state issued another order acquiring the helipad for six more months.
The petitioner alleged that the state authorities “broke the locks” of the helipad and handed over the facility, built and maintained by Deccan, to Pawan Hans Limited for commercial operations. The company also alleged misuse of the government’s power of “Eminent Domain” without following mandatory procedures under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013.
The petition sought quashing of the acquisition orders dated May 23, 2024, and June 27, 2025. It also sought directions to restore possession of the helipad to the firm. Additionally, the firm sought compensation for losses, calculated at Rs 5,000 per landing, carried out by Pawan Hans Ltd during what it termed the “illegal acquisition” period.
With the 2026 Char Dham Yatra scheduled to begin in May, the company has sought urgent intervention to stop what it described as repeated administrative high-handedness. After hearing the plea, the Supreme Court asked the Uttarakhand High Court to decide the matter expeditiously.
Also read: Alarming rise in chopper crashes in U’khand sparks safety concern
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