Overview
- The bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi heard pleas for a court‑monitored or independent inquiry into the June 12 Ahmedabad crash of Air India flight AI171.
- Notice was issued on the petition filed by pilot Sumeet Sabharwal’s father, while a similar student plea was declined, and the matter was adjourned for two weeks.
- The Centre told the Court the AAIB team was constituted under statute and international norms and reiterated that the preliminary report did not blame the pilot, citing a ministry clarification.
- Petitioners allege the preliminary findings referenced fuel cutoff switches in a way that implied crew error and that full DFDR, CVR and EAFR data have not been released.
- The Court emphasized that the AAIB’s role is to determine cause rather than apportion blame and criticized media leaks, as the government cautioned that judicial interference could hamper the investigation.