Pilot's Father Seeks Supreme Court Inquiry into Air India Crash
The father of the late Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, one of the pilots of the ill-fated Air India flight AI171, has taken his fight for a transparent investigation to the nation's highest court. In a writ petition filed before the Supreme Court, he has demanded the formation of a judicially monitored committee to conduct a new, independent inquiry into the tragic crash that claimed 260 lives in Ahmedabad. The move signals a profound loss of faith in the ongoing probe being conducted by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which the family and pilots' federation allege is compromised by a premature and misplaced focus on pilot error.
The petition, filed jointly by the pilot's 91-year-old father, Pushkaraj Sabharwal, and the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP), was submitted on October 10. It formally seeks to halt the current AAIB investigation and transfer all material evidence to a new court-monitored body. This proposed committee would be headed by a retired Supreme Court judge and include independent aviation and technical experts, ensuring a fair and technically robust examination of the disaster.
A Narrative of Pilot Culpability
The core grievance articulated in the petition is the "lack of credibility and transparency" in the AAIB's current process. The petitioners allege that the agency has actively fostered a "narrative of pilot culpability," effectively blaming the flight crew before a comprehensive investigation has been completed. This, they argue, has come at the expense of exploring other critical factors, most notably the potential for "design-level faults" in the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft involved in the crash.
This premature focus on pilot blame, the petition contends, not only compromises the integrity and objectivity of the investigation but also places India in a precarious legal position internationally. By not adhering to the impartial standards set out in ICAO Annex 13, the country could face serious liability. The family believes that the current probe is deflecting attention from potential manufacturing or design flaws and unfairly tarnishing the reputation of a deceased and decorated pilot.
Father's Fight for a Son's Legacy
This legal escalation follows months of personal anguish for Pushkaraj Sabharwal. He had previously written to the Civil Aviation Secretary and the Director General of the AAIB, demanding a formal investigation under the specific provisions of the Aircraft Rules. His plea was driven by deep distress over a series of "selective leaks" to the media that followed the crash. These leaks fueled damaging speculation that his son was under immense psychological pressure and may have been contemplating suicide.
In his communications, the elder Sabharwal vehemently refuted these "innuendos," which he stated had severely affected his own health and unjustly maligned his son's professional legacy. He powerfully argued that the right to reputation is a fundamental right guaranteed to every citizen, even after death. He systematically dismantled the basis for the speculation, noting that his son's divorce occurred 15 years ago and his mother's death over three years prior, after which he had operated more than 100 flights without incident. He highlighted Captain Sabharwal's impeccable 25-year career, which included nearly 15,638 flying hours and his esteemed position as a Line Training Captain licensed by the DGCA.
A "Deficient and Diversionary" Report
The family's petition also takes direct aim at the AAIB's preliminary report, released on July 12, describing it as "deficient, diversionary and discrepant." The report is criticized for failing to establish the basic facts of what happened, instead resorting to "insinuations" against the flight crew while offering "copious clean chits to the manufacturer/s." A key point of contention was the report's mention of the cockpit voice recording, which captured one pilot asking the other why the fuel supply to both engines had been cut off. This detail, released without full context, is believed to have been the primary source of the harmful speculation. The family and the pilots' federation are now placing their trust in the Supreme Court to ensure a truly impartial inquiry is conducted.
