The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to examine whether the ongoing investigation into the June 12 Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, which claimed over 260 lives, is being conducted with fairness, transparency, and independence.
A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and N. Kotiswar Singh issued notices to the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in response to a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by the NGO Safety Matters Foundation.
“Issue notice to the respondents for the limited purpose of ensuring a free, fair, impartial, independent and expeditious investigation,” the bench, led by Justice Surya Kant, ordered.
The plea, filed through advocate Pranav Sachdeva, claimed that authorities have engaged in “selective and incomplete disclosure of critical information,” prematurely attributing blame to the pilots while ignoring systemic faults.
“The Respondents’ selective and incomplete disclosure of critical information, coupled with premature attribution of pilot error while ignoring systemic faults, has resulted in a continuing violation of Article 21 and Article 14 of the Constitution,” the petition stated.
The PIL also pointed out that crucial technical issues, including the malfunctioning of the fuel control switch locking mechanism and electrical anomalies, were overlooked in the preliminary report.
“By prematurely attributing blame to human error and failing to probe the documented mechanical vulnerabilities, the Respondent has compromised the fairness, thoroughness, and credibility of the investigation,” it argued.
It further highlighted that the testimony of the sole survivor, businessman Vishwashkumar Ramesh, who reported electrical anomalies inside the cabin moments before the crash, was suppressed in the official account.
The plea additionally alleged that the government’s own regulatory body was investigating itself, leading to a potential conflict of interest.