The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed authorities to examine and suitably modify the guidelines on unruly passengers on flights, while keeping in mind the international norms.

The top court today asked Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Aishwarya Bhati to instruct the concerned authorities to examine and suitably modify the guidelines on unruly passengers.

The top court was hearing a petition seeking adequate protocols to deal with cases involving inappropriate behaviour by passengers on aircrafts. The plea has been moved by a 72-year-old woman who was urinated on by a drunk man on board an Air India flight in 2022. 

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The man who was later recognised as Shankar Mishra, was arrested by the Delhi Police from Bengaluru. After the news went viral, Mishra was also dismissed from his job by Wells Fargo.

A bench of Justice BR Gavai and Justice KV Viswanathan while hearing the case today called for creative ways to deal with unruly air passengers.

“Something creative will have to be done,” the bench remarked.

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Justice Viswanathan also cited one of his personal experience with a drunk passanger on flights. He shared that while he was on a flight with another Supreme Court judge Justice Surya Kant, they had two drunk male passengers on the same flight. He recalled that one of the drunk men locked himself in the washroom and slept there. Ultimately, a co-passenger had to interfere to open the door as the flight had and all woman crew.

In 2023, the Delhi High Court had directed the DGCA to constitute an appellate committee within two weeks to hear Mishra’s appeal against the order designating him as an ‘unruly passenger’ and banning him from flying for four months.