The Delhi High Court on Friday, January 30, 2026, asked the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to explain why it gave indefinite relaxation to airlines on new pilot weekly rest and leave norms. The bench of Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia issued a notice on a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging the DGCA’s sudden withdrawal of a rule stating “no leave shall be substituted by weekly rest.” The court demanded the DGCA and IndiGo file replies in two weeks. DGCA had introduced the exemption on December 5, 2025, allowing IndiGo to have more pilots on duty to reduce flight disruptions. IndiGo had cancelled hundreds of flights in early December, citing lack of readiness to follow the new pilot flight-duty rules that came into effect on November 1, 2025. On Friday, DGCA’s counsel said the regulator was monitoring the situation and decided to withdraw the flight-duty norm after an audit and airline complaints about pilots mixing weekly rest with leave periods. The counsel clarified that weekly rest remains mandatory, but leaves are contractual between pilots and airlines. Also, a specific relaxation on night duty rules was given to IndiGo until February 10. The court asked why the relaxation on night duty has a deadline, but the removal of the no-substitution rule has an indefinite timeline. It said, "The grievance seems to be that leave and weekly off can't be mixed up, which you have withdrawn because of disruption in one particular airline. If you are issuing two letters on the same day, one till February 10 but the first one is indefinite. So why not put a limit on the other?" The PIL filed by Sabari Roy Lenka, Aman Monga, and Kiran Singh alleges the DGCA gave illegal and biased relaxation only to IndiGo. It also says the DGCA, required by international rules, has failed to enforce pilot fatigue regulations uniformly, risking public safety. The Delhi High Court said non-implementation of pilot fatigue norms cannot be ignored. The matter will be heard again in April 2026.