"It's an International Investigation", SC grants Centre three weeks to respond on Air India Crash

The Supreme Court granted three weeks to the Centre to respond on a petition seeking an independent, court-monitored investigation into the Air India plane crash at Ahmedabad on June 12, which claimed 260 lives.

"We need three weeks. The investigation is at the fag end..It is an international investigation..let this be heard holistically," Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told a CJI Surya Kant led bench.

As the hearing progressed, Advocate Prashant Bhushan appearing for Safety Matters Foundation told the bench, "After this accident three more incidents have been reported of faulty airplanes."

In response, CJI Kant said, "Dont' rely on media reports..I just travelled from Paris to Delhi on Sunday in a Dreamliner..".

On a submission made by Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for the 91-year-old retired Air Force officer and father of deceased Air India pilot Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, regarding the blame being put on the pilot, CJI said, "It is not a small tragedy for any nation..losing pilots like this...we have sympathy for the father..let us also be very conservative in making observations on a particular brand of aircraft..there was a time when Dreamliner was considered a very safe aircraft."

Earlier, Bhushan had argued that under the government’s own rules, a “court of inquiry” is mandatory in such serious air accidents, not merely an investigation by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB). He contended that the AAIB’s preliminary report, reported as suggesting pilot error, was flawed and lacked transparency. Bhushan also flagged safety concerns regarding Boeing 787 aircraft, stating that “several system failures” had occurred after the crash and that the pilots’ association had called for their grounding. Justice Kant cautioned against “pre-judging” the issue, remarking, “It should not look like a fight between airlines.”

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had opposed the plea, citing the international regime under the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). He had said, “There’s an established process where even foreign nations whose citizens were victims send representatives for the investigation. The Ministry of Civil Aviation has already clarified that no blame has been attributed to anyone.”

Notably, on November 7, 2025 the Court had issued notice on a petition filed by 91-year-old retired Air Force officer and father of deceased Air India pilot Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, seeking an independent judicial probe into the Ahmedabad Plane Crash that claimed 260 lives in June 2025.

Supreme Court had also issued notice on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by the Safety Matters Foundation, seeking an independent and court-monitored investigation into the crash after the petitioner raised concerns over the impartiality and transparency of the probe conducted by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).

The petition, filed by Safety Matters Foundation, a non-governmental organization dedicated to promoting aviation safety, raises grave concerns over the selective and incomplete disclosures made by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) in its preliminary report. The ill-fated Dreamliner, operating as Air India Flight AI171 from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, crashed shortly after takeoff on June 12, 2025, killing 229 passengers, 12 crew members, and 19 individuals on the ground. The aircraft, manufactured in 2013 and powered by GEnx-1B70 engines, had a valid Airworthiness Review Certificate at the time of the accident.

While the AAIB released its preliminary report on July 12, 2025, attributing the crash to the sudden transition of both fuel cutoff switches from RUN to CUTOFF, the petitioner claims the report is riddled with gaps. Sensitive technical information had already appeared in the Wall Street Journal before the report’s release, raising fears of selective leaks and compromised integrity.

The petitioner further alleges a conflict of interest in the investigating team, as three of the five members are serving officers of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Since the DGCA is directly responsible for certifying the aircraft and monitoring Air India’s operations, its officials’ presence compromises the independence of the inquiry. The petition stresses that under Annex 13 of the Chicago Convention, to which India is a signatory, investigations must be independent, impartial, and aimed solely at preventing future accidents; not at apportioning blame. By failing to meet these standards, India risks undermining global trust in its aviation safety regime.

Case Title: Safety Matters Foundation v. Union of India

Hearing Date: February 11, 2026

Bench: CJI Surya Kant and Justice Bagchi