3 yrs on, no chargesheet against unruly flyer

Mann was accused of refusing to occupy his assigned seat from the very start of the flight. Soon after take-off, he allegedly attempted to open the door thrice, proclaimed he was ready for “shahadat” and threatened to take everyone down with him. He abused and intimidated the crew, and even damaged airline property, including the PTV, remote and armrest.

The crew escalated the matter to the Pilot-in-Command, who issued oral and written warnings, but to no avail. Mann was placed on the no-fly list and an FIR was filed at the IGI Airport police station.

He was booked under Section 3 of the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against Safety of Civil Aviation Act, 1982, along with Sections 427, 506 and 509 of the IPC.

Yet, nearly three years later, there has been no supplementary chargesheet or examination of key witnesses. There has been no movement towards accountability.

Now, the Delhi High Court has stepped in, pointing out serious lapses in the trial court’s handling of the matter. Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma, in a hearing held earlier this week, noted that charges had been framed without even recording the statements of three crucial witnesses.

The court sent the case back to the trial court, directing that a proper order on charges be passed only after the missing evidence is placed on record.

The High Court said the prosecution could not push a half-baked case. The investigating officer has been told to explain why no supplementary report was filed despite the lapse of almost three years. Only after such evidence is brought in, the trial court can reconsider the charges.

However, the larger concern remains that while airlines and regulators act swiftly, placing passengers on the no-fly list within hours, once cases reach court, cases are at a risk of being lost in procedural delays. Even those who put others’ lives at grave risk often manage to go scot-free.

Earlier in July 2025, two passengers were offloaded for attempting to storm the cockpit.

Government data also underlines this trend. In 2020, only 10 passengers were barred from flying, largely because of pandemic restrictions.

The figure rose to 66 in 2021 and 63 in 2022. The number peaked at 110 in 2023, before falling to 82 in 2024. This year, 48 passengers have already been banned so far.

Passenger mayhem

Air India peeing incident (Nov 2022)

A business class passenger allegedly urinated on a female co-passenger on a New York-Delhi flight. The incident had triggered public outcry and DGCA penalties.

Delhi-London AI flight diversion (Apr 2023)

A flight was diverted back to Delhi after a passenger became violent and physically assaulted the crew. The passenger was later handed over to security.

Another pee-gate (March 2023)

A 21-year-old Indian student studying in the US allegedly urinated on a co-passenger on board a New York-Delhi flight of the American Airlines.

Misbehaviour with crew (May 2023)

An Air India passenger who misbehaved with crew on a Goa-Delhi flight, was deplaned on arrival.

Vistara scuffle (June 2023)

Two passengers engaged in a fist fight on a Mumbai–Dehradun flight. The video of the incident also went viral on social media.

IndiGo pilot assaulted (Jan 2024)

A passenger allegedly slapped a pilot during announcement at the Delhi airport. He was arrested, but later released on bail.

Smoking in lavatory (July 2025)

A SpiceJet passenger was allegedly found smoking in the middle of the flight. The passenger was handed to the CISF after landing.