The Delhi Police have booked Air India’s Head of Operations Captain Arvind Kathpalia and Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s Joint Director General Lalit Gupta for alleged violation of aircraft rules, the Hindustan Times reported on Saturday. Deputy Commissioner of Police (IGIA) Sanjay Bhatia said a police team is now investigating the matter.

On Friday, a court directed the Delhi Police to lodge a First Information Report against them for alleged violation of aircraft rules, tampering with evidence and intimidating a doctor working with Air India in January 2017, PTI reported. The court was hearing a petition filed by the Indian Commercial Pilots Association.

According to the petitioner, Kathpalia flew as captain of Delhi-Bengaluru flight AI 174 on January 19, 2017, without undergoing the mandatory pre-flight alcohol test. The ICPA alleged that Kathpalia did not take the test after landing in Bengaluru despite being reminded about it.

“...Even after being informed about his infraction by the flight dispatcher at the time of landing the flight AI 174 in Bengaluru, he failed to take the post-flight breath analyser test at Bengaluru airport,” read the FIR, a copy of which was accessed by the Hindustan Times. The report also mentions that Kathpalia then flew back to Delhi again without taking a test.

In Delhi, Kathpalia allegedly made false entries in a register meant to track pre-flight checks of all crew and pilots, the association claimed. According to DGCA rules, skipping these checks is regarded as testing positive for intoxication.

The ICPA in a statement said the signature of a doctor on duty at the medical room is mandatory for each entry but when they checked Kathpalia’s record, there was no signature of a doctor. Kathpalia’s time of reporting too did not match other employees who were with him on the same flight. The ICPA said this suggested the entry was false.

The police said that the airlines had informed the pilots association about Kathpalia. The association then informed the DGCA, which ordered an inquiry. An inquiry found Kathpalia guilty of misconduct and of threatening a doctor on duty when he made the signatures, according to the FIR. Kathpalia’s Air Transport Pilots License was also suspended for three months.

The association alleged that DGCA official Lalit Gupta attempted to influence officials during the inquiry.

An Air India spokesperson said the airline will not comment since the matter was sub-judice.