New Delhi: After IndiGo Airlines banned comedian Kunal Kamra for heckling TV journalist Arnab Goswami, others like Air India, SpiceJet and GoAir joined the list.
However, it looks like IndiGo’s six-month ban on the comedian may not be entirely justified as sources in the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said, on Wednesday, January 29, that the ban is a violation of due process.
According to a report by NDTV, sources said that while the ban is not against the rules, there is a set process that needs to be followed before such an action can be taken against any passenger.
Reportedly, the Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) state that an internal committee must be formed within 30 days of the receipt of the complaint to probe the incident. The passenger can also appeal against the committee’s decision in an appellate body of the Civil Aviation Ministry and a court.
Sources also added that in the meanwhile, a passenger can be banned temporarily for a period of only 30 days.
An official statement by the DGCA reads that “the matter is to be referred to the internal committee”, the decision of which will be binding on the airline concerned. However, the statement did not make any reference to the incident involving Kamra.
As per reports, the DGCA has three categories of passengers banned from flying. The first is for “offensive behaviour designed to provoke & create disturbance”, which attracts a maximum punishment of only a three-month ban. This most closely fits Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri’s description of the incident involving Kamra and Goswami.
The second category is “physically abusive behaviour”, which carries a ban of six months. The third category is “endangering aircraft and passengers” and carries a ban of two years.
This incident and the airlines’ reaction to Kamra’s behaviour, it is reported, is in stark contrast to how MP Pragya Thakur, who is facing charges in connection with an ongoing terror case, was treated when she held up a SpiceJet flight in December 2019.
It can be recalled that the BJP MP, who was in a wheelchair, fought with the flight crew and passengers when they asked her to vacate a seat located next to the emergency exit. A video of the incident even went viral, however, there were no consequences for her actions.
With inputs from PTI
