HC fines ex-IA pilot for misuse of PIL

New Delhi: Delhi High Court has decried litigants who resort to filing PILs as a tool to settle personal scores or for publicity. Dismissing a PIL filed by a former Indian Airlines pilot claiming that unsafe landing procedure is thrust on IA pilots resulting in aircraft being flown in a hazardous manner, a division Bench of Justice Manmohan Sarin and Justice Manmohan recently slapped a cost of Rs 10,000 on him and termed it as a misuse of PIL.
The present petition is without merit and is a misuse of public interest litigation," HC noted while refusing to intervene on one Captain P N Sharma’s PIL relating to the emergency landing procedure of A-320 Bogie aircraft of IA.
HC was clear that since the landing procedure had been certified as correct and safe by the experts in the filed petition , the matter need not be pursued further. We are of the view that the matter must rest with the finding and opinion of the above experts and not permitted to be agitated any further."
The petition was dismissed after the airlines convinced the judges that Sharma , who claimed to have 30 years experience of 16,000 flying hours, flying on various aircraft such as DC-3 , AVRO, Boeing 737, Airbus A 320, had moved this PIL because he entertained a sense of grievance against it and its staff.
18/06/08 Times of India

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Categories: Air India Domestic Jun 2008, NACIL Jun 2008, Safety Jun 2008