'No One Believes It Was His Fault': SC To Air India Pilot's Father Seeking Probe In Ahmedabad Crash
The court also issued notice to the Centre, the DGCA, and others to file replies after the father of late Air India pilot filed a plea seeking an independent judicial probe into the Ahmedabad crash.
The Supreme Court on Friday told the 91-year-old father of the deceased pilot who was flying the Air India plane that crashed in Ahmedabad that no one in India believes that the tragic incident was caused by the pilot's fault and urged him not to carry any sense of guilt.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi issued notices to the Union government and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on the petition filed by the pilot’s father, Pushkaraj Sabharwal.
The top court also said that the preliminary report does not prove anything against the pilot.
“It’s extremely unfortunate that this crash took place, but you (father) should not carry this burden that your son is being blamed... Nobody can blame him (Pilot) for anything,” the Supreme Court said. “No one in India believes it was the pilot's fault,” Justice Surya Kant added.
“There is no insinuation against the pilot so far. The investigation report merely records the communication between the two pilots; it does not apportion blame,” Justice Bagchi added.
The court also issued notice to the Centre, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), and others to file replies after the father of late Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, the Pilot-in-Command of the Air India plane, filed a plea seeking an independent judicial probe into the crash.
Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft crashed in June this year, killing 260 people on board.
Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, representing Sabharwal, drew the court’s attention to an article published in the Wall Street Journal concerning the late pilot, Captain Sumeet Sabharwal. "It was nasty reporting only to blame India," the bench responded.
Quoting from the preliminary report of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Board (AAIB) dated July 12, the bench noted that it contained no indication of pilot error and merely documented exchanges between the two pilots in the cockpit.
"The scope of the AAIB investigation is not to blame but to suggest preventive measures to avoid future tragedies. If necessary, we will clarify that the pilot cannot be blamed," the bench said.
The matter will next be heard on November 10.
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