At the Gwalior Bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, a Public Interest Litigation filed by real estate leader Sudarshan Jhavar took center stage this Monday. The petition, filed under Article 226, highlighted what he termed as “sheer neglect” of air connectivity from Gwalior despite the presence of a state-of-the-art airport built with massive public investment.
Background
Jhavar, who also heads the local unit of the Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Association of India (CREDAI), argued that Gwalior’s Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia Airport developed at a cost of nearly ₹500 crore - sees only three operational flights daily.
“The city has no dearth of passengers,” his counsel Siddharth Sijoriya submitted. “The problem lies not in demand but in administrative will.”
The petition drew attention to the UDAN scheme (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) launched in 2016, which aimed to connect small cities with affordable air travel. It also cited the Madhya Pradesh Civil Aviation Policy, 2025, which envisions intra-state air connectivity and the creation of supporting infrastructure like helipads and heliports.
Court’s Observations
A division bench of Justice Anand Pathak and Justice Anil Verma heard the matter on admission. The bench appeared concerned over the petitioner’s claims and directed both the Union of India and the Madhya Pradesh Government to clarify the current implementation status of their aviation policies.
The bench observed,
"The submissions raise a relevant issue of regional connectivity which needs concrete information from both governments before this Court proceeds further."
Decision
The court has given three weeks’ time to the Centre and the State to furnish their responses and policy updates. The matter will be listed again in December 2025 for further hearing.
As the courtroom emptied, many local observers remarked that the outcome could shape the region’s aviation future particularly whether Gwalior finally gets the flight network it deserves.
Case Title: Shri Sudarshan Jhavar vs. Union of India & Others
Case Number: Writ Petition No. 42992 of 2025