The Delhi court discharged former Lok Sabha MP Ravindra Vishwanath Gaikwad on Friday. Gaikwad was accused of assaulting an Air India employee in 2017 after being denied a business class seat on a flight.

On March 23, 2017, Gaikwad refused to leave the plane after landing in New Delhi on an Air India flight from Pune. He demanded an explanation for being seated in economy class despite having a business class ticket. When a member of the ground staff tried to persuade him to leave, Gaikwad assaulted the staff member with a slipper.

Special Judge Geetanjali Goel discharged Gaikwad from the charges under sections 308 and 201 of the IPC. However, the court found that section 355 was prima facie made out against the accused, and since this was a non-cognizable offence, the chargesheet would be treated as a complaint. The matter will now be heard by an additional chief metropolitan magistrate.