IndiGo flyer booked after crew detects cigarette smoke in flight's washroom

A flyer on board a Mumbai-bound IndiGo flight was booked for smoking after a crew member of the Dubai-Mumbai flight detected the smokey smell of the cigarette. The incident reportedly occurred on August 3.

The crew member then found a partially burnt cigarette in the restroom, news agency ANI reported.

When questioned by the crew, the passenger gave away thecigarette pack and a lighter. The flight crew promptly alerted authorities and filed a report with Mumbai's Sahara police station upon landing.

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After the flight landed in Mumbai, legal action entailed a case that was registered under Section 336 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for endangering the safety of others, along with Section 25 of the Aircraft Rules.

Is this an isolated case?

No. This isn't an isolated case. Similar cases of passengers smoking on flights have been reported in the past as well.

Earlier in March 2023, a passenger was caught smoking inside a Kolkata-Bengaluru IndiGo flight. The cabin crew discovered a cigarette in a dustbin, and she was arrested after the flight landed in Bengaluru.

The passenger reportedly faced charges of endangering the safety of fellow passengers.

What does the law say on smoking inside a passenger aircraft?

According to Section 336 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC): "Whoever does any act so rashly or negligently as to endanger human life or the personal safety others, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three months or with fine which may extend to two hundred and fifty rupees, or with both."

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Section 25 of the Aircraft Rules bars a person from smoking "in any part of an aircraft or in its vicinity". This includes the areas where a notice display states that smoking is prohibited. The same section also bars smoking "anywhere in an aircraft during take-off, landing or refuelling or during a period in which a notice is temporarily displayed indicating that smoking is prohibited."

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