The Delhi High Court on Thursday said Air India pilot Arvind Kathpalia's laxity in taking a breath analyser test would not lead to the assumption that he was under the influence of alcohol when he operated a flight between New Delhi and Bengaluru in January 2017.
Kathpalia has been accused of violating aircraft rules, including evading breath analyser test, and forgery in 2017. Subsequently, he was suspended last year by Air India for three years after he tested positive for blood alcohol during a routine pre-flight breath analyser test before flying an aircraft to the US.
The court on Thursday reserved its judgement on the pilot's plea seeking anticipatory bail as he apprehends arrest in the case lodged against him on the direction of a lower court in which he has been accused of tampering with evidence, criminal conspiracy and intimidating a doctor working with the airline in January 2017.
During the day's hearing, Justice Mukta Gupta, said, "Merely not taking the test would not lead to the assumption that he was under the influence of alcohol. It only shows dereliction of the rules."
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