Supreme Court Declines to Hear Plea on Airport Construction Regulations
The Supreme Court declined to hear a petition seeking regulations to control urban construction around the country's airports. The petitioner had referenced the Air India crash in Ahmedabad last year to argue for stricter building norms near airport zones.
A bench led by Chief Justice Sury Kant and Justice V Mohan ruled on June 16 that the matter falls entirely within the government's policy domain. The court stated that framing policies and regulations is the responsibility of the executive, not the judiciary.
The petition, filed by Delhi-based lawyer Shakeel Sheikh, contended that no rules currently govern urban development near airports across the country. The 2023 Ahmedabad incident, where an Air India aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff into a medical college building, killed 260 people including 241 passengers and 19 doctors and students.
