New Delhi— The Supreme Court on Friday consoled the 91-year-old father of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, who died in the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, saying that his son was not to be blamed for the tragedy. The court emphasized that the fatal incident was an accident and that no findings, even in preliminary reports, point to any fault on the pilot’s part.
A Bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi issued notices to the Centre and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on a petition filed by the pilot’s father, Pushkaraj Sabharwal. “You should not carry this burden on yourself. The pilot is not to be blamed for the crash. It was an accident. There is no insinuation against him in the preliminary report,” the Bench told him during the hearing.
Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, representing Sabharwal, informed the court that a Wall Street Journal article had cast aspersions on the pilot’s role. Responding to this, the Bench remarked, “That was nasty reporting, only to blame India.”
Referring to the preliminary report of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Board (AAIB) dated July 12, the court noted that the document merely detailed the conversation between the two pilots before the crash and did not attribute fault. “The purpose of the AAIB investigation is not to fix blame but to recommend preventive steps to avert future tragedies. If necessary, we will clarify that the pilot cannot be held responsible,” the judges said.
The case has been listed for further hearing on November 10, along with other related petitions.
The tragic crash on June 12 claimed 260 lives — including 229 passengers, 12 crew members, and 19 people on the ground. The Air India flight, bound for London Gatwick, crashed within minutes of takeoff from Ahmedabad, striking the BJ Medical College hostel near the runway. Both pilots — Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and co-pilot Captain Clive Kunder — died in the crash, and the Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) reportedly failed to activate.
Last month, Pushkaraj Sabharwal and the Federation of Indian Pilots petitioned the Supreme Court for a court-monitored probe led by a retired apex court judge. They called for a “fair, transparent, and technically robust” investigation, warning that a flawed inquiry could endanger future passengers and compromise aviation safety.
The petition, filed through AP&J Chambers on October 10, named the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation, DGCA, and AAIB as respondents. It seeks the formation of an independent committee including aviation and technical experts to examine the causes of the crash and recommend safety measures.
