The Delhi High Court on Tuesday issued contempt of court notice to nine sacked office-bearers of the Indian Commercial Pilots' Association (ICPA) asking them to explain why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against them.
A Division Bench of the Court comprising Justice B. D. Ahmed and Justice Veena Birbal issued the notice to the union leaders when they refused to call off their strike as suggested repeatedly by the Bench.
Hearing on May 25
The Bench asked all the nine leaders to be personally present before the Court on May 25, the next date of hearing. The Court also asked them to file replies to the notice by that date.
The Bench also appointed senior advocate Siddharth Luthra as amicus curiae to help the court in the matter.
Earlier in the day, the Bench pulled up both the Air India management and the ICPA for their rigid attitude on the strike.
About 800 pilots, who were earlier with India Airlines before the merger, have been on strike since April 26 demanding pay parity with their Air India counterparts and better working conditions.
The court initiated the contempt proceedings on a reference by Justice Gita Mittal. She made the reference when the pilots continued their strike even after a direction to them to call it off.
