Diwakar Reddy challenges travel ban

Telugu Desam Rajya Sabha member J C Diwakar Reddy filed a writ petition in the High Court at Hyderabad seeking a direction to all major domestic airlines to permit him to fly in their flights and to declare the unilateral ban imposed on him as illegal.

The MP made the union Ministry of Civil Aviation, DGCA, Air India, Jet Airways, Vistara Airlines, Indigo, Go Air, Air Asia, Spice Jet, Turbo Megha Airways as respondents in his petition. He contended that imposing a ban on his flying without any inquiry, without any notice to him or without proving his guilt in any manner, is illegal, arbitrary and violative of his fundamental rights.

He said the alleged misbehaviour with Indigo airlines staff at Visakhapatnam airport on June 16, 2017 was a trivial incident that was given wrong colour. He blamed the airlines staff for not giving him boarding pass even though he came well within the time.

This incident led to the virtual banning of MP’s travel by air by almost all major domestic airlines. The MP also narrated the incident on July 9 when he was prevented from entering into a Truejet flight in Hyderabad airport and mentioned that at his advanced age, he cannot use any alternative mode of travel.