SC says 'don't travel by air', refuses urgent hearing on airfare hike plea

Don't travel by air, the Supreme Court told a petitioner on Monday while refusing urgent listing of a plea alleging nearly 700 per cent increase in airfares. An advocate mentioned the matter for urgent listing before a bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and Aparesh Kumar Singh. "The aviation fare has increased by 700 per cent," the advocate said. "Don't travel by air," the bench observed. The advocate then said air travel is an essential service. "It's a violation of Article 14." Article 14 of the Constitution deals with equality before law. The apex court is already hearing a separate petition filed by social activist S Laxminarayanan, who has sought a robust and independent regulator that ensures transparency and passenger protection across the civil aviation sector and regulatory guidelines to control "unpredictable fluctuations" in airfare and ancillary charges imposed by private airlines in India. During a hearing on that plea on October 16, the Centre inf