‘Decide on SOPs for such cases’: Complainant in Air India urination case moves SC
The woman told the Supreme Court in a petition that the government and DGCA should draft a framework that adheres to global standards in the airline industry to prevent such instances
NEW DELHI: Aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and airlines should come up with standard procedures to handle unruly conduct by passengers, the elderly woman, who a drunk passenger allegedly urinated upon on an Air India flight in November, has said in a petition filed in the Supreme Court.
The woman said the government and DGCA should draft a framework that adheres to global standards in the airline industry to prevent such instances. And if such incidents still happen, they should be dealt with in a manner that doesn’t cause additional trauma to the passengers concerned, she said, seeking directions to DGCA to consider treating “drunkenness” as unruly or disruptive behaviour on board.
“India needs to ensure that its passengers, both domestic and foreign, can travel with a minimum of safety and security,” the woman’s petition filed by advocate Rahul Narayan said.
In her case, the woman’s petition said DGCA and Air India failed to treat her with care and responsibility after learning about the urination incident in the business class of the New York-Delhi flight on November 26 and she was asked to keep sitting on the wet seat without being offered an alternative one. Air India, which was fined ₹30 lakh by the regulator, later acknowledged that the incident was not correctly classified by the airline.
The petitioner contrasted the handling of her case with a case on an American Airlines flight on March 4 where the cabin crew reported a drunk 20-year-old passenger who urinated on a co-passenger in his sleep to the police soon after landing in Delhi. This case, she said, was handled well by the airline.
She also complained about the media reporting on her case and underlined the need for clear guidelines for media on reportage of the incident where she said, unverified statements became the basis for forming “conjectures and surmises”. The petition said broadcast and media organisations should “postpone” reportage of incidents pending trial.
“Wide-ranging press coverage full of conjectures and surmises has severely undermined petitioner’s rights as a victim under Article 21 of the Constitution and also affected rights of accused as well,” said the petition.
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