Comply with court order, then sort out issues: Bombay HC to Air India pilots

Mumbai: Citing the inconvenience being caused to people due to their agitation, the Bombay High Court on Friday asked the Indian Pilots Guild to first comply with the Delhi High Court order restraining them from continuing their "illegal strike" before sorting out the issues with the management.

"You (IPG) may have problems but first comply with the Delhi High Court order. Then you can go sort out your issues. You cannot harass the general public like this," a vacation bench of justices S J Kathawala and P D Kode observed while hearing an IPG petition challenging its derecognition.

IPG, the association representing pilots from the erstwhile Air India, have moved the Bombay High Court against an order passed by the Air India (AI) management derecognising the body and sealing its premises.

The court told the IPG to first end the strike as it was harassing people, and then sort out issues with management.

"The defendant no 1 (IPG), its members, agents and its office bearers are restrained from illegal strike. The pilots are also restrained from reporting sick, holding dharnas, staging demonstrations or resorting to any other modes of strike in and outside the company's offices in Delhi and other regional offices," Justice Reva Khetrapal of Delhi HC had said in her May 9 order.

The pilots, under the banner of IPG, are agitating over the rescheduling of Boeing 787 Dreamliner training and matters relating to their career progression.

The Bombay High Court bench has directed AI to file its response to the petition through an affidavit within a week and directed the management to permit the petitioner to remove documents from its sealed office.

According to IPG, the order dated May 7, 2012 derecognising their association was a "high-handed and draconian" measure undertaken by AI management.

(For updates you can share with your friends, follow IBNLive on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest)