Supreme Court orders draft aviation rules within two weeks

The Supreme Court has directed the Central government to submit the draft rules formulated under the new Bharatiya Vayuyan Adhiniyam, 2024, within two weeks, marking a significant step in the ongoing legal scrutiny of India's aviation regulations. The order, issued on July 13, 2026, by a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, requires the rules to be presented in a sealed cover, irrespective of whether they have been tabled before Parliament. The court scheduled the next hearing for August 3.

The directive came during proceedings on a public interest litigation filed by social activist S. Laxminarayan, which calls for a robust and independent aviation regulator to ensure transparency, passenger protection, and oversight of airfare pricing and ancillary charges. Senior advocate Ravindra Srivastava, representing the petitioner, argued before the court that passengers face arbitrary and exorbitant fare increases, particularly during festivals, holidays, and emergencies, with prices sometimes rising by 100 to 300 percent. He contended that current dynamic pricing systems operate without any independent authority having the power to review or regulate them.