SC rejects HC order on A-I pilots

The Supreme Court yesterday set aside the order of the Bombay High Court in the dispute over seniority of Air-India co-pilots and directed the government to refer the questions to an industrial tribunal.

The airliner and several pilots' associations have been locked in disputes for years and the Bombay High Court judgment did not satisfy either the carrier or the pilots. Therefore, they had moved the Supreme Court.

The questions the government has been asked to refer to the tribunal are: Whether the 1998 settlement was liable to be set aside on grounds of fraud or undue influence, whether the co-pilots are required to have "Airlines Transport Pilot Licence" and the relief each group is entitled to.

The Supreme Court has declared an interim arrangement for the pilots which would be followed till the tribunal ultimately decides the claims.