TLI Staff
New Delhi: In what reflects poorly on grievance redressal mechanism of civil aviation ministry, its attached offices and autonomous bodies, the ministry is currently facing as many as 1,568 law suits across various courts in the country.
In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said that a total of 314 law suits have been filed by the ministry and its attached offices, undertakings and autonomous bodies.
Speaking to Top Lead India, a senior IAS officer said that the number of law suits was quite high given the small size of the ministry.
“The number of law suits go up only if the established grievance redressal mechanism does not work effectively. In normal course, all issues should be resolved as per the rules, policy, procedures and regulations but sometimes the department keeps sitting over grievances. In this case, people go to courts,” he said.
As per information given by the Minister, the maximum number of cases are in the High Court of Bombay followed by the High Court of Delhi. While the ministry is involved in 292 legal disputes in the Bombay High Court, it is fighting 280 cases in the Delhi High Court.
The earliest case which is still pending was filed in 1987.
The official quoted above said that reasons for grievances arise when there are scopes of interpretation of a law, rule or policy.
Citing example of a flyer, the official said that an aggrieved passenger would first go to concerned airline and then to aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). If the DGCA fails to dispose it, he or she will go to the ministry and if still not resolved the person would go to the consumer court.
“The number of law suits is definitely disproportionate to the size of the ministry,” he said.
The ministry is facing 124 law suits in the Supreme Court of India. The remaining cases out of 1,568 cases are in 21 different High Courts.
It may be noted that Airports Authority of India (AA), Air India and chopper company Pawan Hans Helicopters Ltd (PHHL) are under the administrative control of Civil Aviation Ministry.
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