India’s SpiceJet has been ordered by the country’s Supreme Court to pay $1.5 million to Credit Suisse by September 15th. The order comes as a result of a case related to unpaid dues, with the court warning of unspecified ‘drastic action’ if the payment is not made. One-third of the specified amount is part of a previously agreed monthly settlement plan, while the remaining sum represents unpaid dues that have accumulated since last year. SpiceJet argues that the debt is from the previous management’s tenure.

The Supreme Court has set the next hearing for September 22nd, stating that if SpiceJet fails to make the payment, it will take ‘drastic action.’ The court proceedings were attended by SpiceJet’s Chief Ajay Singh, with one of the two judges expressing impatience and stating, ‘Enough of this dilly-dally business… We are not bothered even if you die.’

The legal dispute between Credit Suisse and SpiceJet dates back to 2015 when the bank claimed unpaid dues of approximately $24 million. The dispute led to the Madras High Court’s order to wind up the airline in 2021. Despite previously agreeing to a settlement plan, SpiceJet failed to pay the dues, leading Credit Suisse to approach the Supreme Court in March seeking contempt proceedings against the airline and its chief. Failure to comply with contempt of court can result in fines and imprisonment.

This latest court order represents a setback for SpiceJet, which has been dealing with financial difficulties. The airline recently stated that it was ‘struggling to stay afloat’ after being ordered to pay 1 billion rupees ($12 million) to its former owner, Kalanithi Maran, as part of an arbitration order. In that separate case, SpiceJet confirmed that it has deposited 625 million rupees of the total amount and expects to complete the payment by September 15th.