New Delhi, Jan 22 (NationPress) The Central government informed the Delhi High Court on Thursday that measures have been implemented against IndiGo Airlines following an investigation into the airline's extensive flight cancellations that caused turmoil at airports, leaving lakhs of passengers stranded.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) that sought an independent judicial probe into the IndiGo crisis. The court instructed both the Centre and the airline to submit affidavits within two weeks, detailing the actions taken, including compensation for those affected.

Representing the Union government, Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma stated that based on the inquiry committee's findings, IndiGo's Senior Vice President had been ordered to resign from their position, and a fine of approximately Rs 22 crore was levied against the airline.

Furthermore, the Centre's legal representative indicated that IndiGo must provide a bank guarantee of Rs 50 crore to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to ensure adherence to regulatory mandates and implement long-term systemic changes.

ASG Sharma also informed the CJ Upadhyaya-led Bench that reprimands had been issued to the Chief Operating Officer, Director, Deputy Head of Flight Operations, and a resource analyst.

Legal counsel for IndiGo stated that refunds for canceled tickets have been processed and that the airline is currently developing a system to compensate affected and stranded passengers promptly. Additionally, it was mentioned that a dedicated website has been set up for distressed passengers to request compensation.

The Delhi High Court acknowledged these submissions, directing IndiGo to formalize these details through an affidavit within two weeks.

"Let an affidavit be submitted by respondent no. 3 within two weeks," stated the CJ-led Bench, considering the inquiry committee report submitted under seal, along with the DGCA's action-taken report.

The petitioner's attorney pointed out that IndiGo had provided travel vouchers to stranded passengers, which have a limited validity period.

When questioned by the bench, IndiGo's attorney confirmed that the vouchers, valued at Rs. 10,000, are valid for 12 months. The Delhi High Court noted that the timeframe seemed reasonable, directing the airline to determine the protocol for instances where passengers do not redeem the vouchers within that duration and to submit its response accordingly.

The case is scheduled for further proceedings on February 25.