New Delhi, November 7 — The Supreme Court on Friday observed that the pilot killed in the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad could not be held responsible for the tragedy and advised his 91-year-old father not to carry the burden of blame. The bench comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi made the observation while hearing a petition filed by the pilot’s father, Pushkaraj Sabharwal, and issued notices to the Centre and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
As per agency report, the court stated that the incident was purely accidental and noted that even the preliminary report did not attribute any fault to the pilot. The bench remarked that there was no reason for the petitioner to feel guilty, as the Air Accident Investigation Board’s (AAIB) findings made no allegations against his late son. The court also commented that a media report published by an American outlet had indulged in poor reporting aimed at unfairly blaming India.
Referring to the AAIB’s preliminary report issued on July 12, the court said it merely described the communication between the two pilots and did not suggest any culpability. It emphasized that the AAIB’s role was not to assign blame but to recommend preventive measures to avoid such tragedies in the future. The bench further stated that, if necessary, it would explicitly clarify that the pilot could not be held responsible for the accident.
The court listed the matter for further hearing on November 10 along with other petitions related to the incident. The June 12 crash had claimed 260 lives, prompting Pushkaraj Sabharwal and the Indian Pilots’ Association to approach the Supreme Court last month seeking a fair, transparent, and technically sound investigation under the supervision of a former Supreme Court judge.
