Air India crash: Supreme Court says pilot wasnt at fault, issues notice to Centre, DGCA seeking response over plea
Court also referred to a Wall Street Journal report that cited unnamed Indian sources hinting at pilot error. The court has now issued notices to the Centre, DGCA, and other authorities seeking their responses.
PTC News Desk: The Supreme Court on Friday told the father of late Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, pilot of the Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner that crashed in Ahmedabad in June killing 260 people, that no one in the country believes the pilot was at fault.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi made the statement while hearing a petition by 91-year-old Pushkar Sabharwal, who has asked for an independent and technically sound investigation into the crash, supervised by a retired Supreme Court judge. The court expressed sympathy and assured him that his son was not being blamed for the accident.
“It’s extremely unfortunate that this crash took place, but you (the father) should not carry this burden that your son is being blamed. Nobody can blame him for anything,” Justice Surya Kant said during the hearing.
Justice Bagchi added, “There is no insinuation against the pilot so far. The investigation report merely records the communication between the two pilots, it does not apportion blame.”
Represented by senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, the petitioner said that only a basic probe had been done under Rule 9 of the Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, while a full independent investigation under Rule 11 was still needed.
He also referred to a Wall Street Journal report that cited unnamed Indian sources hinting at pilot error. The court has now issued notices to the Centre, DGCA, and other authorities seeking their responses.
Justice Surya Kant told the petitioner, “Whatever may be the reason for the tragedy, the pilot is not responsible.”
The next hearing is scheduled for November 10.