New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday strongly criticised reports suggesting that pilots deliberately shut off fuel supply in connection with the Air India crash in Ahmedabad, calling such claims “very unfortunate and irresponsible.” The remarks came during the hearing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking an independent, court-monitored probe into the June 12 tragedy that claimed 260 lives, including 19 on the ground.
The bench, comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice N.K. Singh, heard arguments from senior advocate Prashant Bhushan, who flagged concerns over the preliminary report released by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB). Bhushan pointed out that a Wall Street Journal article, published before the official report was submitted to the government, cited sources claiming that the pilots were being blamed for deliberately shutting off fuel. He called for transparency and urged that independent experts be allowed to examine the flight data recorder to ascertain the facts.
“Prior to the report being given to the government, The Wall Street Journal published an article suggesting pilots deliberately shut off fuel supply. Some leakage happened, and everyone assumed pilot error… They were very experienced pilots,” Bhushan said.
The Supreme Court, however, emphasised the need for confidentiality in such sensitive matters. Justice Surya Kant observed, “Suppose tomorrow someone says pilot ‘A’ is responsible. The family will suffer — and if later the report clears them, then what happens?” The bench noted that premature public disclosure of technical details could lead to speculation and misinformation.
Bhushan also raised concerns about a conflict of interest, noting that three of the five members investigating the crash are serving officials of the DGCA, the very regulator responsible for aviation safety oversight. He said more than 100 days after the crash, only a preliminary report had been released, leaving passengers of Boeing 787s potentially at risk.
The preliminary report, released in July, mentioned a cockpit conversation between Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kundar, in which one pilot asked, “Why did you cut off?” and the other replied, “I didn’t.” This led to speculation about pilot error in media coverage.
The PIL also criticised the report for allegedly downplaying systemic issues, such as fuel-switch defects and electrical faults, while prematurely attributing the crash to the pilots. Bhushan stressed that families of the victims and former pilots are concerned that international media had highlighted a cryptic line in the preliminary report, portraying pilot culpability.
The Supreme Court has now issued notices on the PIL and sought responses from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, DGCA, and AAIB.
