Air India Passenger Booked For Unruly Behaviour On Flight Refuses Bail, Goes To Jail

The accused, Ratnakar Dwivedi told the court he had read online that the fine payable under section 336 of the IPC is Rs 250, which he was willing to pay, but not the bail amount.

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A man booked for smoking on an Air India flight was sent to jail by a court after his refusal to pay Rs 25,000 for bail and stating that he is ready to go to jail instead.

The accused, Ratnakar Dwivedi told the court he had read online that the fine payable under section 336 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) is Rs 250, which he was willing to pay, but not the bail amount, reported PTI.

On March 10, Dwivedi was booked under section 336 (the act of endangering life or personal safety of others) of the Indian Penal Code after he was allegedly caught smoking in the lavatory of Air India's London-Mumbai flight.

"A passenger on our flight AI130, operating London-Mumbai on March 10, was found smoking in the lavatory. Subsequently, he behaved in an unruly and aggressive manner, despite repeated warnings," Air India said.

He was handed over to security personnel upon the flight's arrival in Mumbai, the airline said.

In addition to defying the pilot's vocal and written instructions to remain calm, the accused, according to Mumbai Police, also created a ruckus aboard and put everyone else's life in danger.

Recently, in another case of unruly passenger behaviour mid-air, a US citizen in Mumbai was booked for allegedly smoking in the bathroom and misbehaving with other passengers on Air India London-Mumbai flight on March 11.

The police said that the man tried to open the door of the flight and said that he also has some medicines in his bag. However, no such object was found in his bag.

MORE ON: US Citizen 'Smokes' In Bathroom, 'Misbehaves' With Passengers On Mumbai-Bound Air India Flight. Case Filed

Meanwhile, the Tata Group-owned Air India was penalised twice in January this year by the aviation safety regulator DGCA for not reporting two separate incidents of unruly passenger behaviour on its international flights.