The Supreme Court of India on Friday came to the defence of late Air India pilot Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, declaring that no one in the country believes he was responsible for the tragic crash of flight AI-171. The court said the official crash report did not cast any blame on him and urged his 91-year-old father not to carry the burden of misplaced guilt.
A Bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi was hearing a petition filed by Captain Sabharwal’s father, Pushkar Raj Sabharwal, and the Federation of Indian Pilots. They sought a court-monitored, independent probe into the June 12 crash that killed 260 people, including crew, passengers, and residents near the crash site.
“The report does not insinuate anything against the pilot. No one in India believes it was his fault,” the Bench observed. The judges called it “extremely unfortunate” that such a tragedy had occurred but reminded the grieving father that his son’s name should not be tarnished.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) had found that both engine fuel-control switches moved from “RUN” to “CUTOFF” shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad, leading to loss of power. However, the report made no suggestion of deliberate or negligent action by the pilots.
The Court issued notices to the Union Government and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) seeking responses by November 10 on whether a judicially monitored committee should be set up to review the probe.
