.png){kind=small}
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
1 hour ago
4
ARTICLE AD BOX
Issuing notice to the authorities under MCA as well as to AAI, the bench has now sought their response.
In the aftermath of the Air India Boeing crash in Ahmedabad in June, the Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought the Ministry of Civil Aviation’s response in a public interest litigation highlighting several vacancies as highlighted in a Parliamentary Standing Committee report.
A PIL, filed earlier by advocate Udai Vikram Singh Rathore and represented by advocate Abir Phukan, has sought the court’s directions to the MCA to make public all orders, decisions and penalties issued by it from January 2019 till date with respect to aviation incident reports in compliance with international civil aviation standards. Considering the PIL, the High Court had issued notice to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and Airport Accidents Investigation Bureau in March.
Rathore, in a fresh application, has now also highlighted vacancies and underutilisation of funds.
Relying on a report by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Grants for the Ministry of Civil Aviation, submitted nearly three months before the crash in March, Rathore, through his advocate Phukan, highlighted before the division bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela that there are 879 vacant positions in the DGCA, 208 in Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) and another 3,265 vacancies in the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
Rathore has highlighted that with such an acute shortage of personnel raises questions on the efficiency and effectiveness of enforcing safety standards in aviation.
The parliamentary report also highlights a reduction of budget allocation for Ministry of Civil Aviation, from Rs 3,113 crore in the year 2023-24 to Rs 2,357 crore in the year 2024-25, and a reduction in the total capital outlay for the ministry from Rs. 755.8 crore in 2023-24 to Rs. 70 crore in 2025-26.
The application further highlights that the Parliamentary Committee noted that on review of the expenditure pattern over the last three (3) financial years, it was found that there was “significant underutilisation of funds” particularly for the DGCA (Rs. 15.14 crore spent out of Rs. 22.64 crore), BCAS (Rs. 4.42 crore spent out of Rs. 8 crore) and the Secretariat and AAIB (Only Rs. 1.78 crore spent out of Rs. 13.70 crore).
Story continues below this ad
Issuing notice to the authorities under MCA as well as to AAI, the bench has now sought their response.
English (US) ·