Overview
- The bench directed the Centre and DGCA to file detailed affidavits on pleas for a court‑monitored inquiry, leaving the petitions pending for a later hearing.
- Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court the investigation follows international protocols and noted a ministry press note clarifying that no pilot is blamed.
- Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi stressed that the AAIB’s role is to find causes and recommend safety measures rather than assign fault.
- Petitioners—the pilot’s father, the Federation of Indian Pilots and Safety Matters Foundation—allege procedural defects and seek a Court of Inquiry independent of the AAIB team.
- Earlier AAIB findings said both engine fuel control switches moved to CUTOFF seconds after takeoff, a disclosure that fueled media narratives the court criticised, as the Centre cautioned that interference could hinder the probe.