TDP MP moves HC against flight ban

The Hyderabad high court on Wednesday admitted a petition by JC Diwakar Reddy, a Telugu Desam Party (TDP) legislator from Andhra Pradesh, challenging the flying ban imposed on him by eight domestic airlines.

The MP had allegedly misbehaved with the staff of Indigo Airlines at Visakhapatnam airport last month.

Reddy sought the intervention of the court to declare the ban on his domestic flying as illegal.

The MP, who represents Anantapur, entered the cabin of the Indigo airlines counter on June 16 at Visakhapatnam airport and shouted at the staff after they refused to give him a boarding pass for a flight to Hyderabad.

He came to the airport after the closure of the boarding time and the flight was ready to take off.

Video clippings recorded on the closed circuit television cameras in the airport showed Reddy banging the boarding pass printer and even pushing an airlines employee out of the cabin.

However, Reddy, in his petition, described the incident as very trivial and said it was blown out of proportion and given a wrong colour.

He said he had reached the airport well within the stipulated time, but the airline’s staff had refused to give him a boarding pass. He added he had not misbehaved with the staff nor had he manhandled anybody.

“Had I behaved with them in an unruly manner, they would have filed a case against me and an FIR would have been registered by now,” he argued.