Stories
Centre Tells Supreme Court Rules Under Bharatiya Vayuyan Adhiniyam Approved
- •The Centre informed the Supreme Court that administrative approval has been granted to rules under the Bharatiya Vayuyan Adhiniyam, 2024, and they will be published in two weeks.
- •A bench of Justices Vikram Nath, R Mahadevan, and Aparesh Kumar Singh directed Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to place the published rules before the court on the next hearing date, November 16.
- •The Supreme Court was hearing a plea by social activist S Laxminarayanan seeking an independent regulator for transparency, passenger protection, and control over unpredictable airfare fluctuations in the civil aviation sector.
- •The petitioner raised concerns regarding private airlines reducing free check-in baggage allowances and imposing arbitrary dynamic pricing and hidden ancillary charges.
Key Questions Answered
The Centre informed the Supreme Court that administrative approval has been granted to the rules under the 2024 Act, and they are likely to be published within two weeks. The Supreme Court scheduled the next hearing for November 16 to review the published rules.
The Supreme Court proceedings stem from a public interest plea filed by social activist S Laxminarayanan. The petition seeks an independent regulator to ensure transparency, passenger protection, and control over unpredictable airfare fluctuations and ancillary charges by private airlines.
The plea alleges that private airlines arbitrarily reduced free check-in baggage allowances for economy-class passengers from 25 kg to 15 kg without justification. It argues that this converts a standard ticketed service into an independent revenue stream and exploits consumers through hidden fees.
