Air India operations chief fails pre-flight alcohol test; grounded
Mumbai, Nov 11 : Government-run Air India Sunday grounded its chief of operations Captain A K Kathpalia after he allegedly failed to clear pre-flight alcohol test, a senior airline official said.
Kathpalia was to operate the airline's London-New Delhi flight on Sunday afternoon.
Air India had to call another pilot to replace him and operate the flight (AI-111) which departed after a delay of 55 minutes, causing inconvenience to passengers, an airline source said.
"We have grounded Capt A K Kathpalia as he failed twice in the breath analyser test. He was to operate the London flight from New Delhi, but he failed to clear the pre- flight alcohol test," the official said.
"He was given another chance, but the second test was also found positive following which he was grounded," he said.
Air India spokesperson was not available for comments on the matter.
Rule 24 of the Aircraft Rules prohibits crew members from partaking any alcoholic drink 12 hours prior to the commencement of a flight, and it is mandatory for him/her to undergo an alcohol test both before and after operating a flight.
The prescribed punishment for such offences under the DGCA rules is suspension of flying licence for three months in case of first breach.
For violating the norms for a second time, the licence is suspended for three years and for a third time, the licence is permanently cancelled.
Earlier, Kathpalia's flying licence was suspended in 2017 for three months by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for allegedly skipping the breath analyser test before a flight. He was subsequently removed from the post of executive director, operations.
However, he was later appointed to the post of director (operations) in Air India Ltd for a period of five years.
A senior official at the DGCA said that a decision on Kathpalia's flying licence is expected to be taken on Monday.
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Over 2,800 farmers died by suicide in Karnataka since 2023-24 FY: Minister
Bengaluru (PTI): A total of 2,809 farmers have died by suicide in Karnataka since the 2023-24 fiscal year, with the state ranking second in the country for such suicides, Minister N Cheluvarayaswamy has informed the state legislative assembly.
In a written reply to a question from BJP MLA Arvind Bellad during the ongoing winter session in Belagavi, the state agricultural minister said that 1,254 farmer suicides were reported in 2023-24 fiscal, 1,178 in 2024-25, and 377 cases were recorded in 2025-26 (as of now).
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According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Karnataka ranks second nationally in farmer suicides. However, Cheluvarayaswamy noted a decrease in suicides compared to the previous three years.
Data provided by the minister revealed that Haveri reported the highest number of suicides, with 297 cases, followed by Belagavi at 259, Kalaburagi (234), Dharwad (195), and Mysuru (190).
In terms of compensation, the state government disbursed Rs 54 crore to 1,081 eligible farmer families in 2023-24, Rs 44.8 crore to 896 families in 2024-25, and Rs 9.65 crore to 193 families in 2025-26 (until November). There are 112 cases still under review.
The government attributed the delay in compensation payments to technical issues, assuring that once resolved, payments will be made promptly.
Of the 1,254 suicides reported in 2023-24, 164 cases were rejected, and 1,090 families were deemed eligible for compensation.
In the 2024-25 fiscal year, 156 cases were rejected, with 1,022 families eligible. For the current fiscal year (2025-26), 46 cases out of 377 suicides were rejected, and 310 families have been deemed eligible for compensation.
BJP State President B Y Vijayendra criticised the Congress-led state government, accusing it of "divine negligence" over the issue of farmer suicides.
"There is no excuse for the negligence of this corrupt Congress government, which has failed to address the plight of farmers. In the last 2.5 years, Karnataka has become second in farmer suicides," he said on 'X'.
It is "shocking" that 2,809 farmers have taken their lives under their rule, he added.
