Air India urination case: Top court seeks better handling of unruly flyers

The Supreme Court on Tuesday urged authorities to devise creative and effective measures to address unruly behaviour by air passengers, emphasising adherence to aviation norms. The direction came during a hearing on a plea filed by a 72-year-old woman who was urinated on by an intoxicated co-passenger aboard an Air India flight from New York to Delhi in 2022.
The bench, comprising Justice BR Gavai and Justice KV Viswanathan, expressed concern over the handling of such incidents and suggested steps like “strategic seating” to minimise disruptions caused by unruly passengers.
Justice Viswanathan recounted his personal experience with unruly passengers on a recent flight, saying, “Two drunk male passengers were on board. One locked himself in the toilet and fell asleep, while the other was seen wandering with a vomit bag. The all-women crew hesitated to open the locked toilet, so one of my co-passengers had to intervene.”
Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati assured the court that guidelines would be formulated to address such issues effectively. The bench has adjourned the hearing for eight weeks, expecting the authorities to present proposed measures by then.
The incident involving the 72-year-old woman sparked widespread outrage. She alleged in her plea that Air India and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) failed to treat her with care and responsibility following the ordeal. She sought the Supreme Court’s intervention through a Public Interest Litigation (PIL).
The accused passenger, Shankar Mishra, allegedly urinated on the woman while intoxicated in the business class section of the flight. He was arrested and later granted bail by a Delhi court on January 31, 2023.