"All the passengers will be a happier lot if your airhostess extend a better behaviour rather than your insisting on these conditions," a bench of Justices Tarun Chatterjee and H L Dattu observed.
The national airlines has taken the plea that in the present competitive environment with private airlines it cannot afford to have overweight air hostesses who are bound to be physically less attractive and active.
The apex court also wondered whether it was proper on the part of the national carrier in a democratic country to sack 13 air hostesses for being overweight.
"In an independent country, will it be a ground? Will it be a ground for dismissal? It can be struck down (termination order). We can do that," Justice Chatterjee said.
The bench made the remarks while dealing with a petition filed by two of the 13 air hostess whose services were terminated by the Indian Airlines for being overweight.
The apex court, however, declined to entertain the plea of counsel Arvind Sharma for quashing the terminations and a stay on all future terminations of air hostesses who are overweight.
