Quick Read
- The Supreme Court of India, on 7 November 2025, issued a notice to the Centre and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in response to a petition by the father of Sumeet Sabharwal, the pilot-in-command of the June crash of an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner near Ahmedabad that killed 260 people.
- The petitioner, 91-year-old Pushkar Raj Sabharwal, seeks a judicially monitored, independent inquiry, claiming the current investigation is “non-independent”.
- The court told the father that his son “is not to be blamed” and stressed that “none of India’s 142 crore people” believe the pilot is at fault.
What’s happening & why it matters
The crash of an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner on 12 June 2025 near Ahmedabad claimed the lives of 260 people. The preliminary investigation by the AAIB noted that both fuel control switches moved from “RUN” to “CUT-OFF” within seconds after take-off.
The father of the pilot, supported by the Federation of Indian Pilots, argues the investigation is unfair: it focuses heavily on the cockpit crew while sidelining possible technical or systemic failures. They demand a retired Supreme Court judge led committee of aviation experts.
The Supreme Court’s notice to the government signals growing judicial scrutiny of aviation safety and accountability mechanisms in India.
Where & when was the order given?
On 7 November 2025, in New Delhi, a bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi heard the petition and issued notices to the Union Government, DGCA, and other respondents. The matter is listed for hearing on 10 November.
Key remarks & legal points
- The court told Mr. Sabharwal: “You should not carry the burden on yourself that your son is being blamed… No one in India believes it was the pilot’s fault.”
- The petition cites rule 12 of the Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, arguing for an independent inquiry outside the standard framework.
- The court also dismissed the relevance of foreign media reports (like from the Wall Street Journal) suggesting pilot error, observing that the remedy for such allegations lies outside the Indian court’s scope.
What happens next?
- The case will be listed on 10 November alongside similar pleas seeking independent probes.
- The government and aviation authorities must respond to the notice and decide whether to form a separate judicial-monitored inquiry.
- The outcome may set a precedent for how future aviation accident investigations are structured in India, whether standard AAIB probes suffice or independent judicial oversight becomes necessary.
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