The Supreme Court said Thursday the purpose of the inquiry by the Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) into the June 12 crash of an Air India Boeing Dreamliner in Ahmedabad, which killed 260 people, was not to apportion responsibility but to clarify the cause and suggest improvements to avoid such accidents.
A bench presided by Justice Surya Kant was hearing petitions, including one by the father of one of the deceased pilots, who lost his life in the crash. The father has contended that the preliminary inquiry report, which blamed the accident on pilot error, was trying to implicate the pilots.
“The supplemental Central government investigation may go into the question of responsibility,” Justice Joymalya Bagchi, who was part of a two-judge bench, said.
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Appearing for the Centre, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said, “I understand the feelings of the father. No blame is attributed to anyone. As a matter of fact, after the interim report, which is mandatory within one month, as per international standards, since there was some misconception, the Ministry of Civil Aviation issued a press note that there is no blame attributable to anyone.”
Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, who represented the pilot’s father, said, “Our apprehension is the regime (on the kind of inquiry that should be done after a plane crash) that Mr Mehta has mentioned has not been followed. That’s the problem. In fact, that must be followed”.
Mehta said, “Any interference by anyone can be counter-productive to a good, valid, and really focused investigation which is going on.”
Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the aviation safety NGO Safety Matters Foundation, pointed out that the association of pilots had flagged the risks associated with flying in Boeing 787 planes and demanded that all such flights be grounded immediately.
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Justice Kant remarked, “It should not look like a fight between airlines.”
Bhushan said that though the notice was issued in his matter almost two months ago, the Centre is yet to file a reply.
The court directed the government to file a counter-affidavit in response to all the petitions in the matter.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
