Association demands govt. to appoint special judge for compensation case

September 18, 2011

Mangalore, September 18: The members of Mangalore Air India crash victims' Families Association have demanded the government to appoint a special judge to hear the compensation case between Air India and the legal heirs of victims of last year's aviation disaster.

A meeting organised by the Association here on Sunday to discuss its next course of action, concluded with a resolution to go ahead with the legal battle for a 'just compensation'.

The meeting comes in the wake of recent judgement of a divisional bench of the Kerala High Court, which overturned a single judge's verdict holding that Air India was bound to pay a minimum compensation of one-lakh Special Drawing Right (SDR), roughly Rs.75 lakh, each to the legal heirs of the victims.

The single judge's verdict had come on a writ petition filed by Kasargod based Abdul Salam, whose 24 year old son B Mohammed Rafi was killed in the crash.

Abdul Salam's lawyer Kodoth Sreedharan, who was present at the meeting, said that the former has already filed a petition before Kerala High Court seeking to review its recent judgment upholding Air India's appeal.

“The judgment on review petition is expected soon, following which we will decide on our next course of action after” Mr Sreedharan said, adding that if the judgment remained unchanged, the door of apex court is always open.

He pointed out that the divisional bench's judgment ignored the convention, statutes and principles of no fault liability. “It (judgment) defies basic common sense,'' he added.

Soon after the divisional bench's judgment on review petition, the Association would convene another meeting to take a final decision, said Mohammad Beary, president of the Association.

“In Sunday's meeting, the Association has taken few important decisions including demanding the government to appoint a special judge to hear this case”, he said.

Stating that Abdul Salam's case is crucial for the Association, he said all the legal heirs of crash victims would move the apex court, if it was necessary, as it would be difficult for a single person to take the legal battle against mighty Air India to the highest level.

The Association has urged all the legal heirs of the crash victims to come forward to share the expenses required to continue the legal battle.

Till date, the AI counsel has settled 62 cases and partially settled six claims at Rs 50.96 crore. Of the 62 cases, 22 have been settled for more than one lakh SDR. In the rest of the cases below one lakh SDR there are children also.

An Air India Express flight from Dubai overshot the Mangalore table-top runway and fell off a cliff while landing on May 22, 2010, killing 158 people. The flight's cockpit voice recorder data showed that the instrument had picked up snoring sounds indicating that the Serbian pilot Captain Zlatko Glusica had slept off for about 90 minutes and failed to pull up the plane after it lost control. He also ignored advice of his co-pilot.


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News Network
November 22,2025

The Karnataka government has announced a 50% rebate on pending traffic and transport fines. The discount is available from November 21 to December 12.

The rebate applies to all traffic e-challans and violation cases booked by the RTO between 1991–92 and 2019–20. Officials clarified that the offer is not applicable to pending tax dues and is restricted only to traffic-violation fines.

Across Karnataka, more than 4 lakh RTO cases remain pending, including those involving transport vehicles. While thousands of vehicle owners have already cleared their dues, the department expects to generate substantial revenue through this limited-period rebate.

How to Pay and Avail the Discount

There are three ways to check and pay your pending fines:

1. Through Mobile Apps
Available on both Play Store and App Store:
•    Karnataka State Police (KSP) app
•    KarnatakaOne app
•    ASTraM app

Steps:
•    Enter your vehicle number in any of the above apps
•    Verify the photo/details of your vehicle
•    Pay the fine with the 50% discount applied

2. Visit a Traffic Police Station

You can pay your pending fine at any nearby traffic police station.

3. Visit the Traffic Management Centre (TMC)

•    Location: First Floor, Infantry Road, near Indian Express, Bengaluru

Transport Commissioner Yogeesh A M said, “We don't issue e-challans, so there's no online payment system.”

The department estimates ₹52 crore in pending RTO fines up to March 2020. “With the 50% rebate, we expect to collect around ₹25 crore if all dues are cleared,” he added.

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News Network
November 22,2025

Mangaluru: Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy C H has warned of strict action against individuals spreading rumours and attempting to create insecurity within the Muslim community and fuel hatred between Hindus and Muslims through social media.

Referring to a recent social media post alleging that police personnel had entered a masjid premises to check whether beef was being cooked, the commissioner said miscreants were attempting to push their communal agenda. 

“A group of people, both from Mangaluru and abroad, are trying hard to spread rumours. For the past 10 days, they have been attempting to rake up old issues, highlight routine matters as controversies, or fabricate news altogether,” he said.

He reiterated that any such attempts to disturb communal harmony would invite legal action. “Cases will be registered and the accused will be brought to book,” he stated.

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News Network
December 2,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 2: Mangaluru International Airport responded to a medical emergency late on Monday night. Air India Express flight IX 522, travelling from Riyadh to Thiruvananthapuram, was diverted to Mangaluru Airport after a passenger in his late 30s experienced a medical emergency on board.

The Airport’s Operations Control Centre received an alert regarding the passenger’s health condition. The airport activated its emergency response protocol, mobilising the airport medical team and coordinating with stakeholders including CISF, immigration, and customs. 

Upon landing, airport medical personnel attended to the passenger, assessed his condition, and arranged to shift him to a local tertiary-care hospital for further treatment. The passenger’s relatives accompanied the passenger, who incidentally received necessary medical care on board, which helped stabilise the situation.

Following the handling of the emergency, the flight departed for Thiruvananthapuram at 2:05 am on Tuesday.

"We appreciate the cooperation of all parties involved, and this incident reaffirms our ongoing commitment to prioritising passenger safety and readiness to respond to unforeseen emergencies with professionalism and care," the Airport spokesperson said. 

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