“Sit Down, It’s Too Late”: On Pee-Gate, Lawyers Slam Airline Ban

New Delhi:

After Air India’s decision to ban Shankar Mishra, who allegedly groped an elderly female passenger, from flying with the airline for four months, his legal team said they would not agreed with the findings of the committee and is now in the process of appealing this decision. as per DGCA CAR for Unruly Passengers.

On Thursday, Air India banned Shankar Mishra from flying with the airline for four months after an internal committee ruled that he was an unruly passenger who allegedly urinated on him. to a passenger. His counsel Ishanee Sharma and Akshat Bajpai said, “We respect the authority and order of the Internal Investigation Committee, but we do not agree with their findings and are currently in the process of appealing this decision as per DGCA CAR for the unsustainable passenger.

A statement given to ANI by Mr Mishra’s lawyer said, “We would like to point out that the decision of the Internal Inquiry Committee is based on their misunderstanding of the structure of the Flight.”

“When the Committee could not find a suitable explanation on how the accused could drink on the complainant sitting in seat 9A without affecting the passenger on Seat 9C, mistakenly thought there was a seat 9B in the business. class in the plane and imagined that the defendant could stand on this imaginary seat and urinate on the plaintiff on seat 9A. However, there is no seat 9B in business class on the plane – only seats 9A and 9C,” it said. .

According to the lawyers, based on these unfounded and clearly incorrect suspicions, the fact is that the Committee created a situation where the defendant could do this action.

“This finding is very surprising considering the two aviation experts in the committee, we maintain the innocence of the accused and have full faith in the justice system of the country,” the lawyer added.

“The 3-member Independent Investigation Committee under the chairmanship of the former District Judge has decided that Shankar Mishra is included under the definition of “unruly passenger” and banned from the fly for 4 months in accordance with the applicable Civil Aviation Requirements,” said an Air India spokesperson on Thursday.

“Air India has also shared a copy of the Internal Committee’s report with the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and will also inform other airlines operating in the country,” said the Air India Spokesperson.

The Delhi police arrested Shankar Mishra from Bengaluru on January 6, 2023, and currently, he is in the Delhi Court. The Metropolitan Magistrate of Delhi’s Patiala House Court also denied him bail in the case.

Mr. Mishra allegedly groped a 70-year-old woman in a drunken state in the business class of an Air India flight on November 26 last year.

The Delhi Police registered a First Information Report (FIR) against her on January 4 on a complaint lodged by the woman against Air India under sections 354, 509, and 510 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 23 of the Indian Aircraft Act. .

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