An Air India traveller received a case in opposition to the provider after a protracted authorized battle of 23 years for contaminated meals served throughout his journey from Colombo to Chennai. The compensation? Rs 35,000.
The incident was from July 26, 2002, and the decision was handed by Madras Excessive Court docket on October 10, 2025.
Right here’s what occurred: Passenger P Sundarapariporanam, throughout Air India flight IC 574, found that the meals served to him in a sealed packet by the airline had strands of hair, as talked about in a report in The Financial Occasions. The report said that the sight of the hair in his meals made him nauseous.
The passenger, to make issues worse, couldn’t file a criticism both as a result of there have been no criticism containers or types accessible. The flight employees reportedly didn’t take heed to him both. He fell ailing and at last filed a criticism with the Deputy Common Supervisor (Industrial) as soon as he landed.
The report added that Air India, in a letter dated July 12, 2002, expressed remorse over the incident and stated they had been investigating the matter. Every week later, on July 19, nevertheless, Sundarapariporanam filed a authorized discover by way of his lawyer, and detailed that he suffered abdomen ache and skilled vomiting because of the incident. He sought compensation of Rs 11 lakh.
Air India acknowledged that the passenger was a frequent flyer with them and such an incident had by no means occurred earlier than. It additionally argued in opposition to the justification of Rs 11 lakh as compensation. The provider identified that it had outsourced the catering to Ambassador Pallava, a 5 Star Lodge in Chennai. It stated that since Sundarapariporanam didn’t contain the caterers within the declare, he’s not entitled to 1. It additionally argued that it might have been very properly Sundarapariporanam’s personal hair he noticed within the meal.
Sundarapariporanam had reportedly not returned the meals tray again to the employees, and likewise didn’t request any assist or medical consideration, and therefore the defendants couldn’t be held accountable. It added that the apology it wrote to the passenger was mere courtesy and never an request for forgiveness.
The case thereafter went on trial, and the trial court docket ordered Air India to pay the complainant Rs 1 lakh. The provider filed an enchantment in opposition to the order. Lastly on October 10, Sundarapariporanam received the case within the Madras Excessive Court docket.
The court docket stated in not one of the statements there have been any proof of Air India denying the incident wherever. It agreed that there was negligence and the burden of proof was on the provider to indicate that they’d taken correct care within the efficiency of its obligation.
It additionally identified that the passenger was not aware about Air India’s contract with the caterer, and that his personal contract was solely with the provider.
The court docket nevertheless put aside the Rs 1 lakh penalty seeing as how Sundarapariporanam didn’t present any proof to ascertain loss or damage, the report added. It nevertheless, ordered the provider to pay the price of the go well with, together with the court docket price and bills to the tune of Rs 15,000 and the counsel’s price of Rs 20,000, amounting to a complete of Rs 35,000 inside a interval of 4 weeks from the date of receipt of the copy of the judgment.
