Bombay High Court restores pilot license revoked 15 years ago, says DGCA suspension order ‘illegal’

The Bench also noted that though an FIR was filed in 2011 and a chargesheet was also filed, no charge has been framed against Jeetendra Krishna Varma till now. File. | Photo credit: The Hindu

In a relief to the 61-year-old pilot, the Bombay High Court quashed the DGCA’s 2011 order suspending his licence, saying the order was “illegal and unsustainable” as it violated the principles of natural justice by not granting him a hearing.

On 12 March 2011, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) suspended Jeetendra Krishna Varma’s Air Transport Pilot License (ATPL), considered the highest level of pilot licence, after an FIR was lodged against him in Delhi for allegedly obtaining the license on the basis of forged documents.

Varma, then aged 46, approached the High Court challenging the DGCA order suspending his license under the provisions of the Aircraft Rules.

A bench of Justices Manish Pitale and Shreeram Shirsat, in a judgment delivered on Monday (June 8, 2026), said that the licensing authority DGCA neither issued a notice to Varma nor heard him personally before taking the decision to suspend his licence.

“We are of the view that the petitioner (Varma) has been definitively prejudiced as he could not present his side of the story and therefore we deem it fit to set aside the order (suspension of license) and remand the matter back to the respondent (DGCA) to give opportunity to the petitioner which will be in accordance with the principles of natural justice,” the high court said.

The bench also noted that though an FIR was filed in 2011 and a chargesheet was also filed, no charge has been framed against Varma so far.

“The order (suspension of license) deserves to be quashed and set aside as it is illegal and unsustainable. The ATPL license which was issued to the petitioner is restored,” the court said, adding that the DGCA can initiate an inquiry, give an opportunity to the petitioner and then pass a reasoned order.

The Aircraft Rules clearly provide that before a person is disqualified from holding or obtaining a licence, he must have an opportunity to be heard. The authority must allow the person a hearing and then issue a reasoned decision why it believes the license should be suspended or revoked, the high court said.

“The adoption of such a procedure will be in accordance with the principles of natural justice. In this case, it is a complete violation of the rules,” the Court noted.

Based on Varma’s lawsuit, he was issued a commercial pilot’s license in December 1988, which was regularly renewed. He was employed by Air India where he regularly operated flights.

In 2010, the appellant became eligible for the issue of an Air Transport Pilot License (ATPL), which is considered the highest level of pilot licence. He took the required test and was issued a license.

In March 2011, a complaint was filed in Delhi alleging that Varma had obtained ATPL on the basis of forged documents. He was arrested and released on bail the same month. After registering the FIR, the DGCA suspended his license.

The DGCA claimed that Varma had obtained ATPL on the basis of forged documents and hence the license was suspended in the interest of public safety.

In his plea, Varma said he was neither issued a show-cause notice nor given an opportunity to present his case before the DGCA decided to suspend his license. That was against the rules, he argued.

He was fired from his job after his license was suspended, Varma said. At the HC, he filed a motion challenging the statement. In February 2019, the High Court canceled the notice.

Published – 10 June 2026 12:15 PM IST