SC lens on AI-171 crash probe

STRESS ON CONFIDENTIALITY | Apex court to examine whether the ongoing investigation into tragedy is ‘free, fair, impartial, expeditious & independent'

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The Supreme Court of India on Monday said it will examine whether the investigation into the June 12 Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, which killed 260 people, including 19 on the ground, is being conducted fairly and impartially. A Bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh issued notice to the Union Civil Aviation Ministry, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), seeking their response on the limited question of whether the probe is proceeding properly.

The Court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Safety Matters Foundation, a non-governmental organisation that works on aviation safety. The NGO has alleged that the preliminary report on the crash was "selectively" released and that critical information was being withheld, creating a misleading impression that pilot error was responsible for the tragedy. The petitioner, represented by advocate Prashant Bhushan, argued that this undermines the credibility of the investigation. As reported by Live Law & Bar and Bench.

During the hearing, the Court expressed concern about the way the preliminary inquiry report was leaked in parts, which fuelled a media narrative blaming the pilots.

"That was very unfortunate," Justice Kant observed.