Bombay High Court Restores Pilot's License After 15-Year Suspension, Finds DGCA Order Violated Natural Justice
The Bombay High Court quashed a 2011 DGCA order that suspended pilot Jeetendra Krishna Varma's Airline Transport Pilot License, ruling the suspension was illegal because he was not given a hearing before the decision. Varma had been accused of obtaining his license through forged documents, but no charges have been framed against him in the 15 years since the FIR was filed. The court's decision restores his license and requires the DGCA to conduct a proper inquiry with due process before taking any further action.
The Bombay High Court on June 8, 2026, restored the Airline Transport Pilot License of 61-year-old Jeetendra Krishna Varma, which had been suspended for 15 years by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The court found that the DGCA's 2011 suspension order was illegal and violated principles of natural justice because Varma was neither issued a show-cause notice nor granted a hearing before the decision was made. Although an FIR was filed against Varma in 2011 for allegedly procuring his license through forged documents and a chargesheet was filed, no charges have been framed against him to date. The court noted that the Aircraft Rules explicitly require authorities to grant a hearing and issue a reasoned order before suspending or canceling a license. The judgment remits the matter back to the DGCA to conduct a proper inquiry and give Varma an opportunity to present his case before taking any further action. Varma's suspension had led to his termination from Air India, though the high court had previously set aside that termination in February 2019.
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- The HinduCenter
Bombay High Court restores pilot’s licence revoked 15 years ago, says DGCA’s suspension order ‘illegal’
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