New Delhi, Dec 8: Widespread flight disruptions at IndiGo are credit negative, and refunds and compensation could cause it “significant financial damage”, credit rating agency Moody’s warned on Monday.

In a note, Moody’s said that regulatory penalties from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) remain possible as the airline failed to plan for aviation rules communicated over a year earlier.

The crisis struck as the airlines entered their peak winter schedule, with “significant lapses in planning, oversight and resource management” as the Phase 2 of the Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) rules were introduced on November 1, 2025, after being communicated more than a year earlier, it noted.

The rules reclassified midnight–6 a.m. duties as night duty and cut permissible landings in 24 hours from six to two or three. The agency said that IndiGo’s lean operating model lacked resilience to integrate the change, forcing a system‑wide schedule reset.

Over 1,600 flights were cancelled on December 5, and over 1,200 were grounded in November, with cancellations beginning on December 2. Moody’s said IndiGo is yet to fully restore normal operations.

IndiGo said it was set to operate over 1,800 flights on Monday, up from 1,650 on Sunday, adding that more than 4,500 bags have been delivered to respective customers, and “we are on track to deliver the rest in the next 36 hours”.

The airline said it expects a return to full schedules by mid-December, adding that it is working “round the clock” to normalise operations.

It has so far refunded Rs 827 crore to affected passengers, and the rest is under process for cancellations up to December 15.

Union Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu said in the Parliament on Monday that the government has initiated a thorough inquiry into the matter.

“IndiGo was supposed to manage the crew and roster…We will take strict action. We will set an example for every airline. If there is any non-compliance, we will take action,” he said on the floor of the Rajya Sabha.

Dhule Sessions Court Additional Sessions Judge Jayshree R. Platte acquitted ten accused, including two women, in the Holi riot case that took place at a place called Sakri near Dhule recently due to the complainant and other government witnesses’ deviation from their previous statements. The court acquitted accused Sumiya Zakir Sheikh, Shabana Farooq Sheikh, Meraj Ibrahim Syed, Nasir Sapro Sheikh, Irfan Sapro Sheikh, Mohiuddin Sheikh, Nisar Naseeb Khan Pathan, Samad Saleem Sheikh, Zakir Sapro Sheikh and Saleem Sheikh of serious charges like attempt to murder. The case of the accused was pursued by the Jamiat Ulema Maharashtra (Arshad Madani) Legal Aid Committee on the request of Jamiat Ulema Dhule. Advocate Ashfaq Sheikh appeared in defense of the accused while Advocate NB Kalal followed the prosecution. On March 18, 2022, communal riots broke out in Sakri on the occasion of Holi, after which the police took unilateral action and registered a case against ten Muslims, including two women, under sections 147, 148, 307, 353, 332, 336, 337, 295 of the Indian Penal Code. The police applied Section 4/25 of the Arms Act on the accused and accused them of assault with weapons. Initially, the case was heard in the Sakri Magistrate Court and then the case was transferred to the Dhule Sessions Court because the police had also applied serious sections like 307/ along with the Arms Act on the accused. During the final hearing, Advocate Ashfaq Sheikh told the court that during the trial, the complainant and his wife did not support the police and deviated from their previous statements. Therefore, the accused should be acquitted from the case.

Additional Sessions Judge Jayshree R. Plate of the Dhule Sessions Court said in his decision that the accused cannot be punished on the basis of deviation from the statements of important witnesses and mere suspicion, therefore all the accused are acquitted from the case. On the instructions of President Jamiat Ulema Maharashtra Maulana Haleemullah Qasmi, Mushtaq Sufi (General Secretary, Dhule District) and his colleagues prosecuted the case.

Palghar, Maharashtra, Dec 08: A 40-year-old police constable has been arrested for allegedly raping a woman inside the Kasa police station in Maharashtra’s Palghar district, officials said on Monday.

According to a senior official from the Palghar rural police, the incident took place last week when the woman had visited the station to record her statement in connection with an ongoing case. The constable allegedly assaulted her within the premises.

Following a complaint filed by the woman, a case of rape was registered and the constable was arrested on Sunday, officials confirmed.

In the aftermath of the incident, the in-charge of the Kasa police station has been transferred. Further investigation is underway.