The Delhi High Court has reserved its order on petitions filed by SpiceJet and its promoter, Ajay Singh, who are contesting a previous directive to deposit Rs 144 crore in a legal dispute with media baron Kalanithi Maran and Kal Airways. The court had initially mandated the deposit on January 19, 2023, due to an admitted liability of Rs 194 crore, later extending the deadline by four weeks on March 18, 2023. Ajay Singh's legal team argued that the airline is facing financial distress, exacerbated by the ongoing conflict in West Asia, and proposed offering a commercial property in Gurugram as security instead of cash. Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing SpiceJet, emphasized the public interest in keeping the airline operational, while opposing counsel Jayant Mehta argued that the financial distress claims had already been addressed by the Supreme Court. The dispute originates from Maran's previous ownership stake in SpiceJet, which he transferred to Singh in February 2015 for a nominal amount of Rs 2. A division bench of the High Court had previously set aside an arbitral award requiring SpiceJet to refund Rs 579 crore plus interest to Maran, remanding the case for further consideration.