Supreme Court judge, Justice KV Viswanathan, while hearing a petition seeking tougher guidelines to tackle unruly fliers on Wednesday, shared an anecdote about an unpleasant experience he and Justice Surya Kant, had during a flight journey.

Justice Viswanathan recalled the incident, which occurred in September this year, when he and Justice Surya Kant boarded a night flight from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, to Delhi, where they had gone to attend the wedding of a fellow judge’s son.

It was a Sunday night, so the judges decided to use their travel time to prepare for the cases listed for Monday morning. They took out their iPads and started reviewing the case details.

According to an NDTV report, the judges were seated in the front row, near the galley area and the toilet. About half an hour after the flight took off, some passengers began complaining that a male passenger had occupied the toilet and was not responding to knocks.

Meanwhile, another male passenger walked toward the restroom, vomiting into an airsickness bag. The sight left the other passengers, including the two senior judges, visibly uncomfortable.

The flight crew knocked repeatedly on the restroom door, but received no response. They were hesitant to open it using the emergency latch, as they were unsure of the passenger’s condition. Eventually, they asked other passengers to open the door. When one passenger unlocked it, they found the male passenger drunk and asleep. He was helped out of the restroom and escorted back to his seat. The judges learned that another passenger, who had been vomiting near the restroom, was also intoxicated. Sitting in the first row, they witnessed first-hand the disruptive mid-air situation caused by unruly passengers and the need for proper guidelines to address such behavior.

Coincidentally, the petition calling for a standard operating procedure (SOP) to deal with disruptive passengers—filed by an elderly woman who was allegedly urinated on during an Air India flight—was brought before a judge who had personally experienced the inconvenience caused by such actions.

During the hearing on Thursday, Justice Viswanathan stated that "something creative" must be done to address this issue, suggesting "maybe strategic seating or something."

The bench, consisting of Justice BR Gavai and Justice Viswanathan, has adjourned the case for eight weeks, instructing the Centre’s counsel, Additional Solicitor General Aiswarya Bhati, to direct the relevant authorities to review and modify the guidelines for managing unruly passengers in accordance with global standards.