Delhi HC grants anticipatory bail to Air India pilot
Pilot had moved bail plea in the case pertaining to January, 2017 when he had refused to undergo mandatory pre-flight breath analyser test.
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday granted anticipatory bail to Air India pilot Arvind Kathpalia, who has been accused of violating aircraft rules.
A single bench headed by Justice Mukta Gupta was hearing the plea of Kathpalia who has been accused of evading breath analyser test for a flight from Delhi to Bengaluru.
The pilot had moved the bail plea in the case pertaining to January, 2017 when he had refused to go through the mandatory pre-flight breath analyser (BA) test. Upon landing too, he refused to go through the BA test following which he was suspended for three months by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). He was also removed from the post of Executive Director (Operations).
Kathpalia approached Delhi HC after the trial court dismissed his anticipatory bail application earlier. He was represented by Senior Advocate Ramesh Gupta and Advocate Rajiv Mohan in the High Court.
Kathpalia's petition stated that he was entitled to the presumption of innocence.
The petition further claimed that the Commercial Pilots Association is pursuing "personal vendetta" and is "being vindictive" against him by "putting undue pressure on the police to arrest and humiliate" him.