Spicejet fined Rs 10 lakh for offloading flyer with cerebral palsy

The Supreme Court directed budget airline Spicejet to pay Rs 10 lakh as damages to a flyer, suffering from cerebral palsy, who was forcibly offloaded in 2012, saying the manner in which she was de-boarded depicts "total lack of sensitivity".


The apex court noted that the disabled flier Jeeja Ghosh was not given "appropriate, fair and caring treatment' which she required with "due sensitivity' and the decision to de-board her was "uncalled for'.


"On our finding that SpiceJet acted in a callous manner, and in the process violated Rules, 1937 and Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR), 2008 guidelines resulting in mental and physical suffering experienced by Ghosh and also unreasonable discrimination against her, we award a sum of Rs 10,00,000 as damages to be payable to her,' a bench comprising Justices A K Sikri and R K Agrawal said.


Pic: Actor Kalki Koechlin essayed the role of a person with cerebral palsy in the film Maragrita, With a Straw which earned her a National Award this year.