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Delhi HC refuses to entertain PIL seeking ‘four times’ refund for IndiGo flyers whose tickets were cancelled

Court permits petitioner to move plea to join proceedings in an already pending PIL dealing with various aspects of the IndiGo-spurred chaos in the aviation sector

2 min readDelhiUpdated: Dec 18, 2025 10:24 AM IST

The Court noted that the issues raised in the new PIL could be pleaded in the existing petition regarding the IndiGo chaos. (Source: Express Archives)

The Delhi High Court Wednesday refused to entertain a PIL seeking initiation of class action for award of damages and compensation to the tune of four times the cost of ticket for IndiGo passengers whose flights were cancelled earlier this month.

A division bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, however, permitted the petitioner — think tank Centre for Accountability and Systemic Change (CASC) — to move an application to join the proceedings in an already pending PIL before the Delhi HC dealing with various aspects of the IndiGo-spurred chaos in the aviation sector.

The think tank, in its petition, was seeking the court’s directions to the government and IndiGo to pay compensation four times the value of tickets purchased by passengers that were subsequently cancelled. The PIL also sought that directions be issued to the Centre to initiate class action proceedings under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, for award of damages for the suffering caused to the passengers. Apart from compensation and damages, the PIL sought the court’s direction to conduct an inquiry into the entire matter by a retired judge or Lokpal to identify the alleged negligence and lapses of the DGCA.

The bench, noting that the Delhi HC has “already taken cognizance of a PIL… and the issues raised in this petition can very well be pleaded in the said writ petition”, deemed that it would be appropriate for CASC to seek its intervention in the earlier PIL.

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While the petitioner argued that the directions being sought in this PIL are different from that in the earlier PIL, the court recorded in its order, “We do not see any reason the concerns raised in this PIL cannot be taken cognizance of in the earlier petition. The jurisprudence developed by the Supreme Court as also various HCs of this country around PIL permits the court to expand the scope of the petition if the same appears to the court to be in public interest.”

Sohini Ghosh

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