New Delhi : The Air India management Monday informed the Delhi High Court that it has so far taken back nine of the 101 pilots who were sacked during a recent stir and the entire issue would be decided within four to six weeks. The airline said it would "sympathetically" consider the cases of all the remaining sacked pilots.

The pilots having allegiance to the Indian Pilots Guild called off their 58-day-old stir after the Air India management July 3 assured the high court that it would consider their grievances. After hearing the submission of advocate Lalit Bhasin, appearing for the airline management, Justice Reva Khetrapal allowed Air India to withdraw its civil suit against the pilots, seeking to restrain them from resorting to strike.

Senior advocate C.A. Sundaram, appearing for the pilots, did not oppose management s plea to withdraw its case. "The suit is allowed to be dismissed as withdrawn. All the interim applications are dismissed and interim orders stand vacated. Any observations made during the hearing or in any of the orders, shall not be construed as observation on merits," the court said. The airline management earlier filed applications seeking contempt proceedings against the pilots after their strike was held to be prima facie illegal.

Justice Khetrapal said: "Lalit Bhasin informs this court that a committee has been constituted to examine and consider the representations of pilots, whose services have been terminated." "Pursuant to this the pilots have filed their representation with the committee which has been considered in its sittings on July 19 and 21 in Delhi and Mumbai, respectively," the court said.