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‘Ground situation at airports inhumane’: Delhi HC set to hear PIL seeking directions for refunds, support to affected flyers amid IndiGo crisis

The PIL was mentioned for urgent hearing before a bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela on Monday.

indigoAccording to the airline’s official statement on Monday, IndiGo has already issued refunds worth Rs 827 crore, and the rest is under process for cancellations up to December 15. (File image)

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday is set to hear a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking the court’s direction for refunds and support to passengers affected amid the IndiGo crisis.

The PIL was mentioned for urgent hearing before a bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela on Monday.

The petitioner’s counsel submitted orally that “several people are stuck”. “The ground situation at airports is inhumane. We are expecting the court to pass orders to IndiGo and ground support staff for people stranded at the airports. There is no proper system for refunds,” he said.

The bench said the PIL will be listed on Wednesday, which is designated as the day when PILs are taken up at the Delhi High Court.

The airline cancelled hundreds of flights at major airports even after managing to temporarily secure major relaxations in the second phase of the court-mandated new flight duty and rest period norms for the cockpit crew on Friday.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has appointed a four-member panel comprising Joint DG Sanjay Brahamane, Deputy Director General Amit Gupta, senior Flight Operations Inspector Kapil Manglik, and FOI Lokesh Rampal, tasked with identifying the root causes of widespread operational disruptions.

According to the airline’s official statement on Monday, IndiGo has already issued refunds worth Rs 827 crore, and the rest is under process for cancellations up to December 15.

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The Civil Aviation ministry too, in a statement on Monday, said that IndiGo has delivered 4,500 bags — that were not handed over earlier — to the passengers out of the total 9,000, and will deliver the remaining in the next 36 hours.

Between November 21 and December 7, a total of 9,55,591 PNRs — a unique code that identifies a passenger’s booking — saw cancellations, according to the airline and refunds to the tune of Rs Rs 827 crore were issued.

Sohini Ghosh is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express. Previously based in Ahmedabad covering Gujarat, she recently moved to the New Delhi bureau, where she primarily covers legal developments at the Delhi High Court Professional Profile Background: An alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), she previously worked with ET NOW before joining The Indian Express. Core Beats: Her reporting is currently centered on the Delhi High Court, with a focus on high-profile constitutional disputes, disputes over intellectual property, criminal and civil cases, issues of human rights and regulatory law (especially in the areas of technology and healthcare). Earlier Specialty: In Gujarat, she was known for her rigorous coverage in the beats of crime, law and policy, and social justice issues, including the 2002 riot cases, 2008 serial bomb blast case, 2016 flogging of Dalits in Una, among others. She has extensively covered health in the state, including being part of the team that revealed the segregation of wards at the state’s largest government hospital on lines of faith in April 2020. With Ahmedabad being a UNESCO heritage city, she has widely covered urban development and heritage issues, including the redevelopment of the Sabarmati Ashram Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent reporting from the Delhi High Court covers major political, constitutional, corporate, and public-interest legal battles: High-Profile Case Coverage She has extensively covered the various legal battles - including for compensation under the aegis of North East Delhi Riots Claims Commission - pertaining to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, as well as 1984 anti-Sikh riots. She has also led coverage at the intersection of technology and governance, and its impact on the citizenry, from, and beyond courtrooms — such as the government’s stakeholder consultations for framing AI-Deepfake policy. Signature Style Sohini is recognized for her sustained reporting from courtrooms and beyond. She specialises in breaking down dense legal arguments to make legalese accessible for readers. Her transition from Gujarat to Delhi has seen her expand her coverage on regulatory, corporate and intellectual property law, while maintaining a strong commitment to human rights and lacuna in the criminal justice system. X (Twitter): @thanda_ghosh ... Read More

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