The Supreme Court on Monday issued notices to the Centre and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), seeking their response over concerns surrounding the inquiry into the Air India crash in Ahmedabad.
The order came from Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi. During the hearing, Justice Surya Kant asked why the petition demanded disclosure of extensive data. Meanwhile, the necessity for a fair investigation was already acknowledged.
Appearing on behalf of Safety Matters Foundation, lawyer Prashant Bhushan said families of victims and pilots had approached him with doubts about the inquiry. He argued that the Flight Data Recorder, containing all technical details, must be made public for accountability.
Petition Questions Accuracy and Fairness
The petition seeks the publication of critical material from the crashed aircraft. It includes full records from the Digital Flight Data Recorder.
Furthermore, transcripts and timelines from the Cockpit Voice Recorder, as well as all technical fault messages.
It asserts that the preliminary report of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), released on July 12, contained glaring omissions.
The petition also alleged that the AAIB’s initial findings failed to acknowledge the testimony of the lone surviving passenger, 40‑year‑old businessman Vishwaskumar Ramesh of Leicester.
It raised the issue of independence, citing that three of five investigators were DGCA officials, the very body entrusted with aviation safety.
While publishing its first assessment, the AAIB underlined that the investigation was incomplete and that root causes would be revealed later.
The Air India flight went down on March 14, barely five minutes after it took off from Ahmedabad airport.
The aircraft crashed in the city’s Meghani Nagar area, carrying 242 passengers and 10 crew members.
Among them were 53 British nationals, 7 Portuguese citizens and one Canadian.
Most of the victims’ bodies were charred beyond recognition, complicating identification efforts.
The crash also claimed the lives of former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani. The crash also included Cargo Motors owner Nanda and Lubi director Subhash Amin. The flight was commanded by Captain Sumit Sabharwal, with First Officer Clive Kunder serving as co‑pilot.
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