‘Don’t Carry Burden On Yourself’: SC Says Air India Crash Report Doesn’t Insinuate Anything Against Pilot

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday assured the father of the late Air India pilot Commander Sumeet Sabharwal that no one was blaming his son for the tragic Ahmedabad plane crash that left 260 people dead in June this year.

The Bench also issued notices to the Central Government, the civil aviation regulator (DGCA) and the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) on his plea seeking an independent judicial probe into the incident.

A Bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi was hearing a petition filed by Pushkar Raj Sabharwal, father of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, who was in command of the London-bound Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The 91-year-old petitioner, represented by Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, argued that the ongoing probe by the AAIB was not independent and had taken an inordinately long time.

“I am the father of the Commander of the plane… I am 91 years old. This is a non-independent investigation. It should have been independent. It has taken four months,” the petitioner submitted, urging the court to order a judicially monitored probe under Rule 12 of the Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, which mandates impartiality in such investigations.

Taking note of the plea, the Bench issued notice to the Centre and said the case would be heard along with another connected matter on November 10.

‘No One Can Blame Him For Anything’

Responding to the petitioner’s emotional plea, Justice Surya Kant observed, “It’s extremely unfortunate, this crash, but you should not carry this burden that your son is being blamed. Nobody can blame him for anything.”

Justice Joymalya Bagchi also clarified that there was no insinuation against the pilot in the preliminary AAIB report. “One pilot asked whether the fuel was cut off by the other; the other said no. There’s no suggestion of fault in that report,” he said.

‘Nasty Reporting’ By Foreign Media

The petitioner also drew the court’s attention to a Wall Street Journal article that cited unnamed Indian government sources and hinted at pilot error. The Bench, however, dismissed such reports.

“We are not bothered by foreign reports. Your remedy should then be before a foreign court,” Justice Bagchi said. Justice Kant added, “That is nasty reporting. No one in India believes it was the pilot’s fault.”

Sankaranarayanan argued that persistent safety concerns surrounding Boeing aircraft globally warranted a truly independent probe into the Ahmedabad crash.

Justice Bagchi, however, pointed out that questioning the investigation’s independence would mean challenging the statutory framework itself. “If you challenge the investigation, you have to challenge the statutory provisions of the Act,” he said.

The Case

The petition filed by Pushkar Raj Sabharwal, along with the Federation of Indian Pilots, seeks the constitution of an independent panel of aviation experts led by a retired Supreme Court judge to investigate the crash. The petitioners have sought closure of the current AAIB probe, arguing that the investigation team includes officials from the DGCA and other aviation authorities whose actions are also under scrutiny.

They contend that the preliminary AAIB report appeared biased, hinting at pilot error without considering technical or systemic lapses.

Earlier, in September, while hearing a PIL on the same crash, the Supreme Court had expressed concern over selective leaks of the AAIB’s preliminary findings, saying such leaks were “unfortunate” and could unfairly shape public perception. The court had then stressed that confidentiality must be maintained until the final report is complete.

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