AAP’s Lokayukta bill in cabinet today: Another face off looms?

January 31, 2014

New Delhi, Jan 31: The dust is still to settle on the faceoff between the UPA and the Aam Aadmi Party's government in Delhi over who should control the Delhi police, but the Union government is already wary of another impending confrontation with Arvind Kejriwal and his supporters, this time over the Jan Lokpal Bill.

The Aam Aadmi Party has stated its intention of passing the bill at a public session of the Assembly to be held at Ramlila Maidan, the venue of Anna Hazare's historic agitation.

Kejriwal said they were all set to introduce the Jan Lokpal bill in Delhi assembly in a press conference on Thursday. "It will be introduced in the cabinet on Friday and in 10-15 days there might be an assembly session where it will be passed," he said.

While the Delhi Cabinet is still debating some provisions and the final draft is expected today, reports say the bill seeks life imprisonment as maximum punishment for corruption and a minimum punishment of six months.

It also proposes that the Lokayukta will have the powers to confiscate property and assets of the accused official. Given the nature of the promises made by party leaders, Central government leaders believe the Delhi Lokayukta could very well be draconian.

On Wednesday, The media reported that officials are concerned about whether the Delhi bill will be in consonance with the Union government's Act, which was notified on 1 January.

"If it is at variance, the Delhi government could be asked to modify or amend certain provisions," a senior MHA official is quoted as having said.

Given that the Delhi bill will require the assent of the President, and given that Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia have both committed to passing the Delhi bill at a special session of Assembly in February, a delay by the Centre in comparing the Delhi bill with the Central Act could snowball into another confrontation.

Additionally, with the UPA itself hoping to make a strong political move by passing six anti-corruption bills in Parliament subsequently, there is no doubt that the Centre will be reading the fine print of the Delhi bill carefully. Presidential assent for the Delhi bill could be expected in a week's time, if it is in complete consonance with the Lokpal Act passed by Parliament, an official said.

The Delhi Bill is believed to be mostly on the lines of the Uttarakhand Lokayukta Act, with some additional provisions.

Reports said Kejriwal was keen that the office of the CM come under the ambit of the Lokayukta, as well as all MLAs and other government officials.

Kejriwal's Cabinet could clear the final draft on Friday.

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IndiGo offers full waiver on cancellations, reschedule requests for bookings between Dec 5 and 15

News Network

December 6,2025

With IndiGo flight disruptions impacting thousands of passengers, the airline on Saturday said that it will offer full waiver on all cancellations/reschedule requests for travel bookings between December 5, 2025 and December 15, 2025.

Earlier in the day, the civil aviation ministry had directed the airline to complete the ticket refund process for the cancelled flights by Sunday evening, as well as ensure baggage separated from the travellers are delivered in the next two days.

In a post on X, titled 'No questions asked', IndiGo wrote, "In response to recent events, all refunds for your cancellations will be processed automatically to your original mode of payment."

"We are deeply sorry for the hardships caused," it further added.

Several passengers, however, complained of not getting full refund as promised by the airline.

Netizens have shared screenchots of getting charged for airline cancellation fee and convenience fee.

"Please tell me why u have did this airline cancellation charges when u say full amount will be refunded (sic)," a user wrote sharing a screenshot of the refund page.

"Well, but you have still debited the convenience charges," wrote another.

Passengers have also raised concerns about the "cancel" option being disabled on the IndiGo app. "First enable the 'Cancel' button on your App & offer full refund on tickets cancelled by customers between the said dates," wrote a user.

A day after the country's largest airline, IndiGo, cancelled more than 1,000 flights and caused disruptions for the fifth day on Saturday, the ministry said that any delay or non-compliance in refund processing will invite immediate regulatory action.

The refund process for all cancelled or disrupted flights must be completed by 8 pm on Sunday, the ministry said in a statement.

"Airlines have also been instructed not to levy any rescheduling charges for passengers whose travel plans were affected by cancellations," it said.

On Saturday, more than 400 flights were cancelled at various airports.

IndiGo has also been instructed to set up dedicated passenger support and refund facilitation cells.

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India’s Tougher Pilot Fatigue Rules: Why IndiGo’s Operations Crashed Into Turbulence

News Network

December 6,2025

New Delhi: IndiGo, India’s largest airline, faced major operational turbulence this week after failing to prepare for new pilot-fatigue regulations issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The stricter rules—designed to improve flight safety—took effect in phases through 2024, with the latest implementation on November 1. IndiGo has acknowledged that inadequate roster planning led to widespread cancellations and delays.

Below are the key DGCA rules that affected IndiGo’s operations:

1. Longer Mandatory Weekly Rest

Weekly rest for pilots has been increased from 36 hours to 48 hours.

The government says the extended break is essential to curb cumulative fatigue. This rule remains in force despite the current crisis.

2. Cap on Night Landings

Pilots can now perform only two night landings per week—a steep reduction from the earlier limit of six.

Night hours, defined as midnight to early morning, are considered the least alert period for pilots.

Given the disruptions, this rule has been temporarily relaxed for IndiGo until February 10.

3. Reduced Maximum Night Flight Duty

Flight duty that stretches into the night is now capped at 10 hours.

This measure has also been kept on hold for IndiGo until February 10 to stabilize operations.

4. Weekly Rest Cannot Be Replaced With Personal Leave

Airlines can no longer count a pilot’s personal leave as part of the mandatory 48-hour rest.

Pilots say this closes a loophole that previously reduced actual rest time.

Currently, all airlines are exempt from this rule to normalise travel.

5. Mandatory Fatigue Monitoring

Airlines must submit quarterly fatigue reports along with corrective actions to DGCA.

This system aims to create a transparent fatigue-tracking framework across the industry.

The DGCA has stressed that these rules were crafted to strengthen flight safety and align India with global fatigue-management standards. The temporary relaxations are expected to remain until February 2025, giving IndiGo time to stabilise its schedules and restore normal air travel.

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