Supreme Court Issues Notice On Plea Seeking Safety Protocols For Mountain Helicopter Operations After Uttarakhand Crashes

The Supreme Court on Thursday (August 14) issued notice in a plea seeking directions for framing a comprehensive Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for helicopter operations in mountainous and high-risk terrain.

A bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta made the notice returnable in three weeks. The petition raises concerns over recurring helicopter crashes in the high-altitude pilgrimage zones of Uttarakhand, particularly around Kedarnath valley.

“several helicopter operator companies conducting pilgrimage flight services in the Kedarnath valley and adjoining high-altitude corridors have demonstrated a consistent pattern of operational negligence, regulatory non-compliance, and procedural lapses, thereby putting the lives of thousands of pilgrims, residents, and flight crew at risk. Despite the sensitive nature of terrain-specific aviation and the fact that most of these flight operations occur in densely crowded pilgrimage circuits with limited emergency infrastructure, these companies have operated with impunity, emboldened by the lack of effective enforcement by the DGCA and the State regulatory authorities”, the petition states.

The plea alleges that there is failure on the part of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and State Governments to frame and enforce uniform, terrain-specific SOPs for such operations.

It alleges that several helicopter operators in Kedarnath valley and other high-altitude corridors have repeatedly violated safety norms, flown in adverse weather, failed to conduct required checks, and employed pilots without recent simulator recertification.

The petition highlights that in June 2025 alone, there were three fatal helicopter crashes – on June 1 near Linchauli, on June 8 in the Guptkashi corridor, and on June 15 in the Kedarnath valley – resulting in 11 deaths and injuries to over 20 persons. The petition states that these incidents exposed deficiencies in weather monitoring, airworthiness certification, crew training, and emergency evacuation infrastructure. It also refers to earlier crashes in 2022 and 2024.

The petition contends that the right to life under Article 21 includes the right to a safe environment, and that the State, as regulator and licensing authority, must act to prevent hazardous operations. The plea also invokes the doctrine of constitutional morality, arguing that the continued absence of a safety mechanism violates constitutional goals.

“It is submitted that this principle squarely applies to the repeated failure to protect air passengers and pilgrims from foreseeable aerial hazards in hostile terrain. The lack of safety audits, the non-availability of mountain-specific flight protocols, and the absence of an accountable response mechanism all combine to make the current regulatory regime dangerously inadequate”, the petition states.

The petition refers to international standards under ICAO Annex 19, ICAO Circular 301, and ICAO Doc 9859, which mandate Safety Management Systems and terrain-specific operational guidelines.

It further alleges that helipad infrastructure is inadequate, with many locations lacking firefighting equipment, trained medical staff, or rapid response units. It states that despite repeated violations of the Aircraft Rules, 1937, and DGCA's Civil Aviation Requirements, enforcement remains weak, enabling unsafe operations to continue.

“The Kedarnath helipad, one of the busiest seasonal helipads in India, lacks even basic crash fire rescue services during peak hours”, the plea highlights.

The petition seeks directions to the DGCA to frame and enforce mandatory SOPs for helicopter operations in such areas, make public the names of operators repeatedly violating safety norms, and suspend or revoke permits in case of continuous non-compliance.

“The Petitioners respectfully submit that this Hon'ble Court's intervention is required not only to mandate binding SOPs for all operators in mountainous terrain but also to direct the DGCA to make public the names of operators who are in repeated breach of safety obligations, and to suspend or revoke permits where continuous non-compliance is evidenced. Further, operators must be mandated to upload monthly audit summaries, weather denial logs, pilot recertification data, and payload compliance reports on a public portal for civil oversight”, the plea states.

Further, it seeks orders to the States to establish a centralised command-and-control centre for monitoring flights, suspend single-engine helicopter operations in high-altitude zones until safety measures are in place, and file quarterly compliance reports before the Court until reforms are implemented.

Case no. – W.P.(C) No. 688/2025

Case Title – Shubham Awasthi v. Union of India