New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Friday stayed the Centre’s decision to reject security clearance to air charter service Air Car Airlines Pvt Ltd for transporting Rs 3.5 crore in demonetised notes in a passenger’s baggage.
“Is demonetisation affecting all government policies? Where does it give you the power to cancel the licence? The money did not belong to them,” Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva said on being informed by the DGCA that the action against the charter airline was taken for carrying demonetised notes in such a huge volume.
Air Car Airlines had moved the high court saying its aircraft was hired for a Delhi-Hissar-Dimapur-Delhi flight and the passengers travelling from Hissar to Dimapur were carrying Rs 3.5 crore in demonetised currencies. It said the currency was checked by the pilot in command regarding its “source and use” and the notes were seized at Dimapur airport, but subsequently released.
Contending that it has been made a scapegoat, the company claimed that the government’s decision against it has caused it a monetary loss of Rs. 90 lakh.
The government defended its action saying as it was an “apparent case of money laundering”, to which the court asked, “How does money laundering allow you to cancel licence or security clearance of the airline?”
The court put on hold the government’s December 8 decision to reject the security clearance of Air Car Airlines as well as any consequential action under a show cause notice of December 13 till the next date of hearing as it noted that the cash had been released and no action was taken against the passenger in whose luggage the money was found.
23/12/16 The Hindu
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“Is demonetisation affecting all government policies? Where does it give you the power to cancel the licence? The money did not belong to them,” Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva said on being informed by the DGCA that the action against the charter airline was taken for carrying demonetised notes in such a huge volume.
Air Car Airlines had moved the high court saying its aircraft was hired for a Delhi-Hissar-Dimapur-Delhi flight and the passengers travelling from Hissar to Dimapur were carrying Rs 3.5 crore in demonetised currencies. It said the currency was checked by the pilot in command regarding its “source and use” and the notes were seized at Dimapur airport, but subsequently released.
Contending that it has been made a scapegoat, the company claimed that the government’s decision against it has caused it a monetary loss of Rs. 90 lakh.
The government defended its action saying as it was an “apparent case of money laundering”, to which the court asked, “How does money laundering allow you to cancel licence or security clearance of the airline?”
The court put on hold the government’s December 8 decision to reject the security clearance of Air Car Airlines as well as any consequential action under a show cause notice of December 13 till the next date of hearing as it noted that the cash had been released and no action was taken against the passenger in whose luggage the money was found.
23/12/16 The Hindu
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