SC refuses to hear plea on cancellation of IndiGo flights, asks petitioner to move HC
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a PIL seeking judicial intervention into the issue of cancellation of hundreds of flights by IndiGo, and asked the petitioner to move the Delhi High Court with the grievances.
The Delhi High Court, on December 10, questioned the central government for not taking timely action to check the crisis caused by IndiGo flight cancellations and asked why the situation was allowed to precipitate, with lakhs of passengers stranded and other airlines charging hefty fares.
It was hearing a PIL seeking directions to the Centre to provide support and refunds to passengers affected by the cancellation of hundreds of flights by IndiGo.
On Monday, a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pamcholi took note of the submissions of petitioner Narendra Mishra that the plea needed a hearing at the top court and said the high court is already seized of another similar PIL.
The bench asked Mishra to approach the high court and granted him the liberty to come again if grievances are not addressed.
Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for IndiGo, said the DGCA has appointed an expert committee to look into flight cancellations and consequent problems faced by the flyers.
“It is pointed out that a petition is pending before the Delhi High Court. It is stated that the DGCA has formed an expert committee dated December 5 …. All the issues raised herein are pending before the Delhi High Court. The petitioner is permitted to join proceedings before the Delhi High Court.
“And we request the Delhi High Court to allow him to intervene in the high court and raise all contentions therein. If all grievances are not redressed then nothing stops him or any other public spirited individual to approach this court,” the bench said.
Mishra said the passengers are suffering as the flights are getting cancelled.
“It is a grave concern for the public …but the high court is looking into it. It (the high court) is also a constitutional court. If your grievances are not redressed then you can come here,” the CJI said at the outset.
Earlier, the bench refused to accord urgent hearing to the plea seeking judicial intervention in the matter.
It said the Centre has taken note of the situation and has taken steps to address it.
IndiGo has been facing heat from both the government and the passengers for cancelling hundreds of flights, citing regulatory changes in the pilots' flight duty and regulations norms.
The disruptions have left lakhs of passengers stranded at airports across the country.
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Andhra to be developed as knowledge, creator economy hub: CM Naidu
New Delhi/Amaravati (PTI): Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday said the state is taking steps to transform itself into a knowledge and creator economy hub with a strong focus on artificial intelligence and quantum technology.
He noted that Andhra Pradesh has abundant tech-driven youth and the government is formulating plans to train them in futuristic technologies with support from global technology firms.
"Our goal is to transform Andhra Pradesh into a knowledge hub by focusing on AI, quantum computing, data centres, drone cities and space cities. The youth will remain our biggest asset over the next 25 years, and we seek global partnerships to scale up the creator economy," said Naidu during his interactions at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in Delhi.
Naidu, who participated in the summit in the national capital, also held meetings with several global technology leaders and industrialists to explore collaborations in artificial intelligence, clean energy and innovation ecosystems.
He met Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen, Autodesk AI Head Mike Haley, Aramco India Director Abdul Rehman AiThukair, LEGO Education Vice President Tom Hall, Aadhaar Founder and CTO Srikanth Nadhamuni, Khosla Ventures Managing Partner Vinod Khosla and others at the AP Pavilion.
The chief minister also held discussions with Saudi Aramco representatives on clean energy projects, including solar initiatives, and invited the company to expand operations in Andhra Pradesh, stating that the state is highly suitable for green energy production.
He sought support from NVIDIA Vice President Callista Redmond for establishing AI Living Labs and proposed partnerships through the Ratan Tata Innovation Hub to promote youth innovation, including collaborations with IIT Tirupati and Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Tirupati under the Andhra Pradesh Future Innovation and Research for Science and Technology (AP FIRST) initiative.
Naidu urged Autodesk leadership to support the development of Global Capability Centres in design engineering and requested the establishment of an Innovation Academy in Amaravati aligned with quantum technology, besides proposing AI and robotics learning labs in partnership with LEGO Education.
He also discussed AI-driven smart governance solutions with Quantela Inc Chairman Sridhar Gadhi, while World Bank Group Digital AI Regional Director Mahesh Uttamchandani met Naidu on the sidelines of the summit.
Following the meetings, Naidu visited various exhibition stalls at the summit, including those of NVIDIA, Tata, Intel and Microsoft, and reviewed AI applications across agriculture, healthcare and industry.
