The Central government on Thursday informed the Supreme Court that the Air India Ahmedabad crash is being investigated by Indian authorities as per the mandate laid down by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, argued that foreign nationals were also among the victims of the accident. Mehta further said that for this it is necessary that the investigation be conducted as per international rules, which are followed in air accidents.
During the hearing, the Supreme Court, after hearing the Centre’s oral arguments, asked the petitioners, father of deceased Captain Sumit Sabharwal and an NGO, Safety Matters Foundation, to file their replies on the Centre’s arguments in this regard.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had sought the Centre’s response on pleas filed by petitioners seeking an independent, court-monitored probe into the Air India Ahmedabad crash. 260 people were killed in this accident.
During the hearing today, senior advocate Gopal Shankaranarayan and advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the petitioners, Pushkarraj Sabharwal (who is the father of Captain Sumit Sabharwal, the pilot of the Air India plane that crashed near the Ahmedabad airport on June 12) and another petitioner, Safety Matter Foundation, sought an independent investigation by the court into the accident.
Bhushan said that as per the rules laid down by the government, an accident of such a serious nature requires a court-ordered investigation.
Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan agreed with the Centre’s contention and said that in the event of such accidents, there is actually an international framework which should be followed, but it is not being followed by the Central government.
During the hearing, the Supreme Court also made it clear that the preliminary report of the Air Accidents Investigation Bureau of India (AIBB) has nothing to do with responsibility or blame in relation to this tragic accident.
Justice Bagchi said, “This is not to apportion responsibility, but its purpose is to clarify and then explain the cause of the accident.”
The lawyers appearing for the petitioners also told the court that the Center has not yet filed its reply on their petitions seeking an independent investigation into the accident. In view of this, the court asked the Center to file a written reply.
It also asked the petitioners to file their replies to the Centre’s reply and listed the matter for a later date. The date of next hearing of this case will be decided after today’s order is uploaded on the official website of the Supreme Court.