MUMBAI: The Bombay high court on Monday restrained, in larger public interest, the Shiv Sena and its members from staging a demonstration or holding a rally or assembling near the offices and operating locations of Air India on Tuesday or any other day, without written permission from the authorities.

The HC said the Sena is entitled to hold a peaceful morcha with proper permissions.

Air India dragged the Sena to court on Monday after the party mouthpiece wrote about its intention to hold a rally against the airline for its alleged discriminatory action in laying off Maharashtrian employees and injustice to AI staffers, including cabin crew members. The genesis of the trouble was in a rationalization move by the airline. In January, the ministry of civil aviation made a representation to the Union cabinet on rationalization of pay and allowances to the licensed category of AI staffers in line with industry standards over and above the DPE guidelines recommended by the Dharmadhikari committee , said the AI petition filed through solicitor M V Kini. The cabinet granted its approval in February and various AI employee unions filed petitions in the HC to challenge the committee report and the airline's actions in reducing salaries and hiving off departments. The HC has heard the bunch of cases and reserved the matter for orders.

Air India said it was not against a peaceful rally by the Sena, but that it apprehended things may go out of control and Sena activists may

damage public property or disrupt flying operations and inconvenience flyers.

A bench of Justice V M Kanade and Justice Mahesh Sonak heard additional solicitor general Kevic Setalvad, who represented AI, and said the "apprehension of the airline was well founded". "It is common knowledge that such demonstrations, even if peaceful at the start, suddenly turn violent and disrupt the even tempo of public life," the HC said.

No lawyer appeared for the Sena, but the state was represented by one.

It posted the matter for further hearing to November 25.

