SC Judge Shares Unpleasant Flight Ordeal With Drunk Passengers

Justice KV Viswanathan of the Supreme Court on Tuesday shared a personal experience involving unruly passengers during a hearing on the need for stricter measures to address such behavior on flights.

Narrating the incident, Justice Viswanathan said, “We had a recent experience during air travel. Two male passengers were fully drunk. One went to the washroom and slept off. The other one, who was outside and had a bag to vomit. The crew was all women. For 30 to 35 minutes no one could open the door. The crew then requested my co-passenger to open the door and take him out to the seat. It was a 2.40 hours flight.”

The bench, comprising Justice Viswanathan and Justice BR Gavai, emphasized the need for creative solutions to manage unruly passengers. Justice Viswanathan suggested measures such as strategic seating arrangements to mitigate such issues.

The case under discussion involved a 73-year-old woman who alleged that an inebriated male co-passenger, Shankar Mishra, urinated on her during an Air India flight from New York to Delhi on November 26, 2022.

Mishra, accused of misconduct in the business class, was later arrested.

Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati was directed to review existing guidelines and propose modifications in line with international norms to handle such incidents effectively.

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