Air India employees to evacuate Mumbai's staff quarters by September 24; details here

The Bombay High Court refused to quash the eviction notices issued to Air India (AI) employees on Thursday. However, it allowed them to stay until September 24 due to the upcoming Ganpati festival.

A division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice M S Karnik dismissed three petitions filed by employee unions, namely the Aviation Industry Employees Guild (AIEG), the Air Corporation Employees Union (ACEU), and the All India Service Engineers Association (AISEA), seeking the cancellation of the airline's notices issued in October last year and May this year.

Around 1,600 families live in the Air India staff quarters at Kalina, and while some have already left, approximately 400 remain.

Refusing to quash the notice, the High Court stated that employees could continue to live there until September 24 and that no coercive action would be taken until then.

According to the court, "Ganesh Chaturthi is widely and passionately celebrated in Mumbai; employees are given time off until September 24. They can continue to live in the quarters until then. But not any further. No coercive action will be taken against those who continue to live in the house until September 24." 

Throughout the month-long hearing, the airline company assured the court that it would not take any coercive action against employees for failing to vacate the premises by the deadline.

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• Air India
• Air India employees
• Air India staff quarters
• Bombay High Court
• Ganpati festival