Navi Mumbai, Nov. 6 -- The controversy over naming the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) after late farmer leader DB Patil, as per demands of project affected people (PAPs), deepened on Tuesday after the Bombay High Court refused to entertain a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking to expedite the process. A division bench led by chief justice Shree Chandrashekhar and justice Gautam Ankhad declined to intervene in the matter, saying, "We cannot direct anyone to name or rename anything." Such decisions fell strictly within the executive's domain, the judges said. Following the court's verdict, the petitioner, Vikas Patil, president of the Prakashjhot Samajik Sanstha, said he would approach the Supreme Court. "Despite a unanimous resolution by the state legislature in July 2022, the matter has been pending with the central government," Patil said. "This inaction is creating unnecessary uncertainty and is disrespectful to public sentiment and the legacy of a leader who secured the rights of the very people whose land made Navi Mumbai possible." The PIL had invoked the doctrine of legitimate expectation, arguing that citizens had reason to believe that the state's resolution would be honoured. The delay in naming the airport after the farmer leader was being politically exploited and had "created a real possibility of public unrest", the petition said. Meanwhile, PAP leaders have warned that if the airport is not named after DB Patil by the end of December, they will not allow flights to take off. The Loknete DB Patil Navi Mumbai International Airport All Party Action Committee, which spearheads the campaign for naming the airport after the farmer leader, met last week and resolved to intensify its efforts. "The state government has approved a resolution and sent it to the Centre. Chief Minister Fadnavis has said the Prime Minister is positive about it but a format has to be followed. We want to know what the format is and whether anything has been done on it," said Dashrath Patil, president of the committee. They plan to meet the chief minister again within a week to pursue the matter, he said. Though the airport has not been named officially, PAPs have put up signboards across Navi Mumbai, mentioning the distance and direction to "Loknete DB Patil International Airport, Navi Mumbai"....