A public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Supreme Court demanding an independent, court-monitored investigation into the crash of Air India flight AI171, which claimed 265 lives on June 12, including passengers, crew, and residents on the ground.
The petition has been moved by Constitution by Safety Matters Foundation, an aviation safety NGO led by Captain Amit Singh (FRAeS). The plea alleges that the current probe conducted by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) undermines citizens’ fundamental rights under Articles 14, 19 and 21 of the Constitution.
According to the PIL, the AAIB issued its preliminary report on July 12 attributing the tragedy to the “fuel cutoff switches” being moved from “run” to “cutoff,” pointing to a possible pilot error. The petition, however, claims that the report selectively withholds vital data such as the complete Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) output, full Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) transcripts with time stamps, and Electronic Aircraft Fault Recording (EAFR) information.
The NGO contends that without these records, a transparent and objective understanding of the crash is impossible. It further alleges that the report downplays systemic anomalies such as defective fuel switches, electrical faults, Ram Air Turbine (RAT) deployment and electrical disturbances, while prematurely attributing blame to the pilots.
The plea argues that this approach runs contrary to Annex 13 of the Chicago Convention, which requires independent, prevention-oriented investigations into aviation disasters. By conducting what it calls a “selective and biased” inquiry, the petitioners say the government has compromised citizens’ rights to life, safety and dignity under Article 21, acted arbitrarily in violation of Article 14, and suppressed truthful information in breach of Article 19(1)(a).
On June 12, Air India’s Boeing 787-8 aircraft operating flight AI171 from Ahmedabad to London’s Gatwick airport crashed into a medical hostel complex shortly after takeoff. All 241 people on board, including 12 crew members, were killed, along with 24 others on the ground. Among the dead were 169 Indians, 52 Britons, seven Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian.
Remarkably, a single passenger, British national Vishwashkumar Ramesh, survived the disaster.
The petition stresses that an accident of such magnitude demands accountability beyond a perfunctory inquiry. “An independent, court-monitored probe is essential to ensure that truth is not buried under technical jargon and selective disclosures,” it asserts.
The Supreme Court is yet to take up the matter for hearing.
