**Supreme Court Dismisses Kalanithi Maran’s Plea Against SpiceJet**
The Supreme Court has dismissed a plea from Kalanithi Maran and KAL Airways that challenged a Delhi High Court ruling rejecting their claim for ₹1,323 crore in damages from SpiceJet. A bench comprising Justices P. S. Narasimha and Atul S. Chandurkar chose not to intervene in the high court’s decision. Following the apex court’s ruling, SpiceJet’s shares surged nearly 7% during midday trading, reaching ₹40.71 on the BSE, while the Sensex rose by 0.42%.
Maran and KAL Airways had contested the Delhi High Court’s order from May 23, which dismissed their appeals due to significant delays. The division bench, led by Justices C. Hari Shankar and Ajay Digpaul, declined to excuse a 55-day delay in filing and a 226-day delay in re-filing their appeals, labeling their actions as a “calculated gamble” and accusing them of intentionally withholding information from both the court and SpiceJet.
Under the Limitation Act, parties generally have 90 days to appeal a single judge’s decision to a division bench. If this deadline is missed, they must provide a valid explanation for the delay to seek condonation, which the Delhi High Court did not accept in this instance.
In 2015, Maran and KAL Airways sold their entire stake in SpiceJet to Ajay Singh for a nominal ₹2 during a financial crisis that nearly grounded the airline. As part of the transaction, Singh, who became the chairman and managing director of SpiceJet, assumed liabilities amounting to ₹1,500 crore. Maran and KAL Airways also paid ₹679 crore to SpiceJet for convertible warrants and preference shares, which were never issued under Singh’s management, prompting Maran to seek a refund from the Delhi High Court in 2017.
In July 2018, an arbitration panel of three retired Supreme Court judges dismissed Maran’s claim for ₹1,323 crore in damages but ordered a refund of ₹579 crore plus interest. Both parties subsequently challenged aspects of this ruling in the Delhi High Court. In 2023, Justice Chandra Dhari Singh upheld the arbitral award, directing SpiceJet and Singh to refund ₹308 crore for warrants and ₹270 crore for preference shares, along with applicable interest.
SpiceJet appealed this ruling to a division bench, which in May 2024 remanded the case back to the single judge for reconsideration, putting the ₹270 crore refund on hold. Maran and KAL Airways then approached the Supreme Court against this remand decision, but their plea was dismissed in July 2024. They later refiled their long-pending appeals against the single judge’s 2023 order, leading to the high court division bench’s dismissal in May 2025 due to delays.
In a stock exchange filing on May 26, SpiceJet expressed satisfaction with the high court’s decision, stating, “These claims were thoroughly examined and rejected by a panel of three retired Supreme Court judges.”
**FAQ**
**What was the outcome of the Supreme Court’s decision regarding Kalanithi Maran’s plea against SpiceJet?**
The Supreme Court dismissed Maran and KAL Airways’ plea, upholding the Delhi High Court’s ruling that rejected their claim for ₹1,323 crore in damages from SpiceJet.
