Supreme Court slams handling of Air India crash aftermath, calls for independent probe

The Supreme Court of India on Thursday sharply criticized aviation authorities for how they handled the aftermath of the Air India crash in June that killed 261 people. The disaster, which involved a flight bound for Gatwick from Ahmedabad that went down shortly after take-off, left only one survivor among 242 passengers and 19 people on the ground. In a rare public rebuke, the court said it was "irresponsible" for officials to leak to the media that pilot error caused the crash and urged the government to provide a response before it rules on a petition seeking an independent investigation.

It also condemned the manner in which the preliminary report into the Boeing Dreamliner crash was released, calling that release "selective and piecemeal." The report, published on 12 July, said that just seconds after take-off fuel supply to the engines was cut off. It also noted a cockpit voice recording in which one of the pilots is heard asking the other, "why did he cut off," with the other pilot replying that he did not. The recording does not make clear who spoke. The inquiry noted that at take-off the co-pilot was flying the aircraft while the captain was monitoring.

During the proceedings, one of the Supreme Court judges said that suggestions that the pilots deliberately shut off fuel supply were "very unfortunate and irresponsible." The court also noted the government's response, asking for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's response to the petition before it rules on the activists' call for an independent investigation.

Separately, the head of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation defended the safety record of India's skies, telling the BBC in July that "India's skies have always been safe." In the same month, the DGCA published findings from its annual airline audit showing 51 safety violations at Air India in the preceding year.

Meanwhile, families of four passengers who died filed a lawsuit in the United States against aircraft maker Boeing and parts supplier Honeywell, accusing the companies of negligence. The suit contends the companies were aware of risks in the aircraft's design and did nothing to address them.

Taken together, the proceedings highlight how the crash has prompted renewed scrutiny of aviation safety in India, including how information is released to the public after a disaster and how independent accountability mechanisms are structured. The case remains pending before the Supreme Court as activists seek an independent probe into the incident.