SC to hear pleas seeking refund of airfare for cancelled flights on Sept 23

Supreme Court on Wednesday said that it will hear plea seeking directions on refund of airfare September 23. se refunds will be of those flights that were cancelled during lockdown imposed due to COVID-19 pandemic. This development comes three days after DGCA suggested top court that full refund shall be provided by airlines immediately for tickets booked during COVID-19 lockdown.

Justice Ashok Bhushan heed bench and told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta that re are some clarifications required and asked Centre to file an affidavit to make some clarification in matter. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta was appearing on behalf of central government. Furr posting date of September 23, bench also granted 10 days time to all parties and stakeholders to file affidavits to Centre's affidavit.

During hearing, Solicitor General Mehta told court that government has taken a decision which is subject to Court's final approval. "What we're saying is tickets will have to be refunded. Amount of tickets will have to be refunded," Mehta said.

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Senior vocate Sanjay Hegde, appearing for passengers, however, raised doubts wher air ticket refund proposal of Ministry of Civil Aviation confines to tickets booked during lockdown and t before March 23.

"We only want to say relief should t be confined to only those who booked tickets on first lockdown. Centre's affidavit gives an impression that relief is confined to only those who h booked during first lockdown," Hegde contended.

Earlier, DGCA said that after various rounds of deliberations between stakeholders including airlines, y have arrived at a proposed workable solution keeping in view interests of both passengers as well as companies. On June 12, top court, while hearing a PIL filed by NGO ''Pravasi Legal Cell'', h asked Centre, DGCA and airlines to discuss and work out modalities for a full refund of tickets for domestic and international flights which were cancelled following COVID-19 lockdown.

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(With inputs from ncies)