‘They cannot defend themselves’, father of pilot killed in Ahmedabad plane crash appeals to Supreme Court

Pushkraj Sabharwal, father of pilot Captain Sumit Sabharwal, who died in the AI-171 plane crash in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, has filed a petition in the Supreme Court alleging lack of transparency and credibility in the investigation. 260 people died in this accident. He has demanded that an independent investigation be conducted into this matter under judicial supervision.

Objection to preliminary investigation
The petitioners say the initial investigation into the accident was seriously flawed and focused primarily on the pilots, who could no longer defend themselves. The petition has been filed on behalf of Pushkraj Sabharwal and Federation of Indian Pilots. The AAIB report cited human error as the cause of the accident, but family members and pilot organizations say that technical and procedural aspects were not properly examined in the investigation.

Questions on the impartiality of the investigation team
Objections have also been raised in the petition on the structure of the investigation committee. Most of its members are associated with the DGCA and state aviation authorities, the same institutions whose procedures and oversight are under question in this accident. The petitioners say that the investigating agencies are conducting their own investigation, which is against the principle of natural justice.

pilot’s record
Captain Sumeet Sabharwal had an impeccable career of 30 years, which included 15,638 hours of safe flying. He had flown on Boeing 787-8 aircraft for 8,596 hours without any incident. The petition demands that the accident be investigated by an independent expert committee headed by a retired Supreme Court judge, so that the real reasons can be transparently investigated and such accidents do not happen again in future.

How did the accident happen?
On June 12, 2025, Air India Flight 171, going from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, crashed just seconds after takeoff. In this, 12 crew members and 229 passengers were killed, while one passenger miraculously survived. The plane crashed into the hostel of a medical college, killing 19 people.