Supreme Court Issues Notice To Centre And DGCA On Plea For Judicial Probe Into Air India Crash

The Supreme Court on Friday issued notices to the Union government and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on a plea filed by Pushkaraj Sabharwal, father of the late Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, and the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP), seeking a judicially monitored probe into the Air India crash in Ahmedabad that claimed 260 lives.

The writ petition, spanning 267 pages, was filed on Oct. 10 against the government, the DGCA, and the Director General of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).

Eighty-eight-year-old Pushkaraj Sabharwal, a Mumbai resident, is the first petitioner in the case, while the Federation of Indian Pilots has joined as the second petitioner.

They have urged the court to intervene and ensure that the investigation is independent of administrative influence, and that accountability is established at all levels of operation, regulation, and oversight.

The petitioners have sought the constitution of an independent committee, headed by a retired Supreme Court judge and comprising aviation experts, to ensure a fair, transparent, and technically sound investigation into the accident.

The tragic incident occurred on 12 June, when a Boeing 787-8 aircraft operated by Air India crashed during its approach to Ahmedabad airport, resulting in the death of all 260 people on board.

A preliminary report released by the AAIB on 12 July had attributed the crash to ‘human error’ by the cockpit crew. However, the report drew sharp criticism from pilot associations and families of the victims, who alleged that it was one-sided and failed to explore technical or systemic lapses.

In their plea, the petitioners contended that the AAIB report was “profoundly flawed”, as it placed undue blame on the deceased pilots—who were no longer able to defend themselves—while overlooking more plausible technical and procedural causes of the crash.

“I am the father of the Commander of the plane. I am 91 yr old. This (AAIB's) is a non-independent investigation, it should have been independent. It has taken 4 months," said Sabharwal.

Justice Surya Kant on called it an extremely unfortunate event. "But you should not carry this burden that your son is being blamed," he told the father of the late Captain Sumeet Sabharwal.

He also added that no one can blame him for anything.

Kant also said that there is another plea with similar demand and both will be taken on Nov. 10.