The Telangana High Court Tuesday directed Alliance Air Aviation Ltd, a subsidiary of Air India, to consider the representation of a group of 32 passengers and pay them Rs 12.8 lakh, along with 12 per cent annual interest, as ordered by the Hyderabad District Consumer Forum within three weeks.
Justice N Shravan Kumar heard a writ petition that claimed Alliance Air failed to comply with an order issued on July 11, 2024, by the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum-II, Hyderabad.
The petitioner, Shyam Sundar Lahoti, and 31 others approached the Consumer Forum with a case for deficiency of service against Alliance Air, as one of its flights was abruptly cancelled. They stated that the cancellation led to changes in their vacation plans, including the cancellation of a hotel reservation and the return journey.
The Forum then directed Alliance Air to pay Rs. 12,80,000 along with 12 per cent interest from the date of receipt of the order in case of failure to comply within 45 days.
The petitioners contended that despite being formally notified of the Consumer Forum’s order via a notice dated September 20, 2024, Alliance Air neglected to pay the outstanding amount.
The petitioners then reached Alliance Air’s branch office in Hyderabad, but the office allegedly refused to accept a copy of the order or provide any compensation. Following this, the petitioners sent another notice to the Hyderabad branch on December 18, 2024.
The petitioners informed the high court that Alliance Air has not filed any appeal against the Consumer Forum’s order dated July 11, 2024. They then approached the Telangana High Court, asserting that the respondent’s failure to pay is “illegal, arbitrary, unjust, unconstitutional and in violation of Article 14, 19, and 300A of the Constitution of India and against the principles of natural justice.”
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The petitioner’s counsel, Deepak Misra, argued that Alliance Air, as a public entity performing a public function, was bound to implement the orders of the forum, respond to the legal notices and representations sent to it, and issue orders.
The Court then directed Alliance Air to comply with the orders of the district consumer forum.
