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Air India 171 Crash : It was nasty reporting only to blame India. We are not bothered by foreign media reports. No one in the country believes that it was the fault of the pilot – Supreme Court
Picture : @ANI/X
The Supreme Court has said no one blamed the chief pilot of the Air India Dreamliner for the June 12 crash, which claimed 260 lives, and asked his 91-year-old father not to carry any emotional burden.
According to media reports, “There is no insinuation against him even in the preliminary report,” Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi said, emphasising that if necessary, the court will clarify that the pilot is not to be blamed for the ‘unfortunate’ plane crash.
The top court issued notice to the Centre and the Director General of Civil Aviation on a plea filed by Pushkaraj Sabharwal, deceased pilot Captain Sumeet Sabharwal’s father.
Pushkaraj Sabharwal and the Federation of Indian Pilots moved the Supreme Court for a court-monitored inquiry headed by a former apex court judge into the crash of Air India flight AI-171 in Ahmedabad.
“First of all, it was an unfortunate plane crash and secondly, you should not carry a burden on yourself that your son is being blamed. The pilot is not to be blamed for the plane crash. It was an accident,” the bench told Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for Pushkaraj Sabharwal.
“No one in the county believes that it was the fault of the pilot,” the judges said.
Sankaranarayanan said it all started after The Wall Street Journal newspaper punlished a report pointing to errors on the pilot’s part that led to the crash, citing unnamed government sources.
The judges said, “It was nasty reporting only to blame India. We are not bothered by foreign media reports. No one in the country believes that it was the fault of the pilot.”
“I am aggrieved because my son was attacked,” Sankaranarayanan said, speaking on Pushkaraj Sabharwal’s behalf.
Justice Bagchi said if the petitioner is aggrieved by foreign media reports, then, with respect, his remedy lies in an American court, where he can file a suit.
“Your angst is understandable but there is clear incongruity between public perception and the factual position,” Justice Bagchi added.