Federation Of Indian Pilots To Approach SC Seeking Judicial Probe Into Ahmedabad Plane Crash
The FIP had decided that they will take the matter up with the SC if the Civil Ministry's response was found to be unsatisfactory.
After not getting a response from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) on Monday informed that they will now file a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Supreme Court (SC). According to NDTV, the FIP is waiting for a response from Late Captain Sumeet Sabharwal's father, Pushkaraj Sabharwal, as they hope to file the petition together.
Last week, the FIP had decided that they will take the matter up with the SC if the Ministry's response was found to be unsatisfactory. The matter will be filed in the next few days as the required paperwork is in process.
The FIP had urged the government to order a judicial probe into the Air India crash that killed 260 people, alleging that the ongoing investigation is "compromised" and should be halted. The FIP's demand comes less than a month after Pushkaraj sought a formal investigation by the central government, even as the probe by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is in progress. His son, Captain Sumeet, was one of the pilots in the ill-fated Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner plane.
Unlike the AAIB's private, administrative process, a court can compel testimony under oath, issue a summons, and demand the production of any and all documents from any party, including international manufacturers like Boeing and General Electric. The query sent to the ministry seeking comments on the letter did not elicit any immediate response.
Meanwhile, on Sept. 22, a Supreme Court bench issued notices to the Centre and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on the aspect of an independent, fair and expeditious probe of the crash, as it also mentioned that an element of privacy and dignity of families of victims was also involved.
In one of the worst aircraft accidents in India, a total of 260 people, including 241 passengers, died after Air India's Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft operating flight AI171 to London Gatwick crashed soon after take off from Ahmedabad on June 12. According to the FIP, the circumstances surrounding the AI171 investigation make the constitution of a court of inquiry not merely "expedient", but an absolute and urgent necessity.
AAIB, in its preliminary report released on July 12, had said the fuel supply to both engines of the plane was cut off within a gap of one second, causing confusion in the cockpit soon after takeoff. "In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cut off. The other pilot responded that he did not do so," it had said.
The Supreme Court, on Sept. 22, termed the selective publication of a preliminary report on the June 12 Air India crash which outlined lapses on the part of pilots and paved way for a "media narrative" as "unfortunate and irresponsible."
