PRAKASH KRISHNA SHAMBHARKAR vs AIRPORTS AUTHORITY OF INDIA

Judgment text excerpt

$~35 * IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI Date of Decision: 23rd January, 2026. + W.P.(C) 11490/2021, CM APPL. 49890/2022 PRAKASH KRISHNA SHAMBHARKAR .....Petitioner Through: Mr. V. Shashank Kumar, Advocate. versus AIRPORTS AUTHORITY OF INDIA .....Respondent Through: Mr. Digvijay Rai, SC with Mr. Archit Mishra and Mr. Aayush Anand, Advocates for AAI with Ms. Tanya Rohilla, Manager (Law) with Mr. Jayesh Bhargava, JE (Law). CORAM: HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE SANJEEV NARULA JUDGMENT SANJEEV NARULA, J. (Oral): 1. The Petitioner assails the disciplinary proceedings and the penalty of compulsory retirement with retiral benefits imposed upon him. The Controversy 2. The controversy centres around two communications issued by the Petitioner while he was posted as Airport Controller at Raipur Airport, namely letters dated 6th January, 2007 and 25th June, 2007, in relation to a private entity, Sai Flytech Aviation Pvt. Ltd., which was pursuing approvals for flying training activities and allied operations. According to Airports Signature Not Verified Digitally Signed W.P.(C) 11490/2021 Page 1 of 21 By:ANITA BAITAL Signing Date:02.02.2026 19:02:47 Authority of India1, the Petitioner, without authority, issued the said communications, which were subsequently relied upon by the private entity to obtain regulatory approvals, thereby conferring an undue benefit and compromising established institutional protocols. 3. The Petitioner disputes these allegations and contends that the communications in question were not “No Objection Certificates” in the legal or operational sense. It is asserted that the letters were routine communications issued in good faith at the station level, during a period when the delineation of duties and delegations was, according to the Petitioner, not clearly cod