SC: Probe to find why it happened, not who did it

The government clarified that no blame has been attributed to the pilot or anyone else

- FPJ News Service

The Supreme Court on Thursday underscored that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) enquiry into the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad is meant to determine the cause of the incident for future prevention, not to fix responsibility on any individual. The Centre also clarified that no blame has been attributed to the pilot or anyone else, and that a statutory and international framework governs such investigations.

A Bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi issued notice to the Centre on a petition filed by Pushkar Raj Sabharwal, father of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, who was in command of the Air India flight that crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad on June 12, killing 260 people.

Sabharwal, along with the Federation of Indian Pilots, has sought an independent, court-monitored probe headed by a retired SC judge, arguing that the ongoing investigation by the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) suffers from serious deficiencies, Live Law and Bar & Bench report.