January: 'We Will Interfere.' November: 'Don't Fly.'
The Take
In January the Supreme Court called festival airfare spikes "exploitative" and said it would "definitely interfere", giving the Centre three weeks. Ten months later a lawyer flagged a 700% Diwali jump. The bench's answer: "Alright, don't travel by air. Next case." The fare rules are still being finalised. The tickets never stopped being sold.
The Wire
An advocate told the Supreme Court on 2 November 2026 that airfares rose by up to 700% during the Diwali travel rush and sought an urgent listing of a plea seeking fare rules. The court declined; Justice Vikram Nath said, "Alright, don't travel by air. Next case." In January the court had called festival fare spikes "exploitative", said it would "definitely interfere", and gave the Centre three weeks. A related PIL on fare caps is pending.
Why it matters
The court's own January promise and this week's one-line answer bracket ten months in which the fare rules never arrived.
The receipts
Source: Free Press Journal