Air India Pee Case Updates: Delhi Court Sends Shankar Mishra to 14-day Judicial Custody; Airline Takes Action Against Pilot, Cabin Crew

Shankar Mishra, accused of urinating on an elderly woman co-passenger onboard an Air India flight from New York to Delhi, has been sent to 14-day judicial custody by Delhi’s Patiala House Court on Saturday afternoon. Mishra- moved a bail plea in the court, which has been scheduled for a hearing on January 11.

Mishra was arrested from Bengaluru earlier today and has been brought to Delhi. He was reportedly staying alone at a guest house in Sanjay Nagar, Bengaluru to evade arrest.

In a shocking incident, Mishra, in an inebriated condition, allegedly urinated on his female co-passenger, a senior citizen in her seventies, in the business class of an Air India New York-Delhi flight on November 26 last year.

Latest updates:

• 3 crew members record statements before Delhi Police. As many as three crew members of Air India on Saturday recorded their statement before Delhi Police in connection with the alleged urination incident onboard an Air India flight between New York and Delhi. A senior police officer said that they have summoned a total of nine crew members of Air India who were on the flight when the alleged incident took place.“We have summoned them to record the statement and three crew members have recorded their statement. Remaining six crew members that include pilots will record their statement soon,” he said.Their statements will help to establish the sequence of the event that happened in the flight. “We have also approached the victim to record their statement. The family members informed us that she is unwell and will reach out to the police as she gets well,” he said.
• Shanker Mishra filed for bail plea. Accused Shanker Mishra has moved a bail plea in Delhi’s Patiala House court. The plea is scheduled to be heard on January 11.
• Delhi Court Sends Mishra to 14-day judicial custody. Denying Delhi police’s request for Mishra’s police custody, the court observed that the reasons stated for the accused’s police remand don’t require his physical presence. The statements of the crew members and captains can be recorded even without his physical presence.Sending him to 14-day judicial custody, the court noted that the entire material produced by the police point out that the accused was deliberately not joining the investigation. “The mobile phone of the accused was traced and the last location was Bengaluru. He could even not be traced at his workplace,” it added.
• Court denies police’s request for Mishra’s 3-day custody. The court told the Delhi police that Mishra is not required for collecting footage, statements or examination of pilots. “There is no ground for his police custody,” the court said.
• Police seek 3-day remand of Shankar Mishra. Mishra was produced before Delhi’s Patiala House Court where the police sought his 3-day remand. His lawyer said they have not received a copy of the complaint.
• Air India CEO apologises, crew de-rostered. Air India has de-rostered the two pilots and four cabin crew of the 26 November flight on which the urinating incident took place. “Air India acknowledges that it could have handled these matters better, both in the air and on the ground and is committed to taking action,” CEO Campbell Wilson said.
• Accused to be brought before Delhi Court. Mishra will be produced before Delhi’s Patiala House Court between 1-2 pm on Saturday, as per sources. This court has jurisdiction pertaining to the IGI Airport Police Station.
• Shankar Mishra arrested in Bengaluru. Accused Mishra was arrested by Delhi police in Bengaluru on Saturday and was brought to New Delhi early in the morning. He was reportedly staying alone at a guest house in Sanjay Nagar, Bengaluru to evade arrest.
• Delhi Police summons Air India staff. Air India staff, including the pilot and co-pilot, were issued summons for Friday, but they didn’t appear. Now, they have been summoned to the office of deputy commissioner of police (airport) at 10:30 am on January 7, as per sources.
• Accused told co-passenger, “I think I’m in trouble”, after sobering up on the flight. Mishra’s co-passenger on the November 26 flight, Sugata Bhattacharjee, recounted the shocking incident while speaking to Times of India and said that after Mishra had peed on the woman in an inebriated state, he dozed off. When he woke up, sobered, he told Bhattacharjee, “Bro, I think I am in trouble.” Bhattacharjee added that before the incident, he informed the crew that Mishra was ‘visibly drunk’ and they should cut off the alcohol supply.
• Mishra’s lawyers claim that he had paid Rs 15,000 as compensation to the woman. In a statement issued through his lawyers Ishanee Sharma and Akshat Bajpai, Mishra said he had got the woman’s clothes and bags cleaned on November 28 and the same were delivered to her on November 30.
• The woman had displayed no intention to lodge a complaint, Mishra’s lawyers said. “The lady in her message has clearly condoned the alleged act and has displayed no intention to lodge a complaint. The lady’s persisting grievance was only with respect to the adequate compensation being paid by the Airline for which she has raised a subsequent complaint on December 20, 2022,” the statement read.
• The money was returned by the woman’s daughter on December 19. A message of December 19 purportedly sent by the woman’s daughter says she was traumatized by her experience and that the family was very “upset, outraged and angry”. It says the family did not want his money which will be returned via Paytm. The woman’s daughter asked Mishra not to communicate with her mother any further. There is also attached a screenshot of the transaction returning the money.
• He had not slept for 30-35 hours, his father said, claiming the case was “false”. “I don’t think he would have done it. The lady was 72 years old, she is like his mother. He is a 34-year-old man. How can he do it? He is married and has an 18-year-old daughter,” he said.
• Mishra sacked by Wells Fargo. Shankar Mishra, who was the vice-president of the India Chapter of an American multinational financial services firm Wells Fargo was sacked as the company said that the allegations against Mishra were “deeply disturbing”.
• Mishra is currently absconding. A four-member Delhi police team on Friday afternoon landed in Mumbai in search of Mishra. Earlier today, the Police interrogated 2 people in Mumbai in connection to the case. As per news agency ANI sources, the last location of the accused passenger was traced to Bengaluru and he is being searched using technical surveillance.

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