Bombay High Court Reserves Judgment in Akasa Air's Lawsuit Against Resigning Pilots

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court reserved its judgment on Monday in the application filed by Akasa Air, seeking the court's permission to proceed against five pilots who resigned from the company without serving the mandatory six-month notice period.

Akasa Air, an airline founded by the late billionaire businessman Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, has filed a lawsuit in the Bombay High Court, seeking compensation of Rs. 21 crore from each of the pilots who resigned from the company.

The pilots reportedly resigned after receiving job offers from Air India Express.

Pilots raise objections to suit

SNV Aviation Pvt Ltd, which operates the airline, approached the High Court, alleging that the pilots abruptly left the company without serving the required notice period. They have requested the court to order the pilots to pay Rs. 18 lakh for breach of contract and Rs. 21 crore each for damages to the airline's reputation due to flight cancellations, rescheduling, and grounding. The airline has also asked for an interim order requiring the pilots to fulfill their six-month notice period.

However, the pilots have raised objections to the suit filed in the Bombay High Court, arguing that the dispute did not originate in Mumbai. They contend that the airline should have obtained the court's permission under HC Rules to proceed with its suit in Mumbai before seeking any other relief.

The airline's counsel, Janak Dwarkadas, argued that since the agreements were executed in Mumbai, and the company received the resignations in Mumbai, the suit was maintainable before the Bombay High Court.

Senior Advocate Darius Khambata, representing the pilots, stated that the agreements had been executed outside Mumbai, as the company had sent hard copies of the agreements to the pilots for signatures, and they had returned them to the company