SC Rejects Air India Safety Audit Plea After Crash, Questions Why Only One Airline Is Being Targeted

(MENAFN- Live Mint) The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a plea seeking the constitution of a panel headed by a retired judge to independently audit Air India's safety practices and maintenance procedures.

The SC bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi asked the petitioner, Narendra Kumar Goswami, why only the airline that witnessed an“unfortunate tragedy” should be targeted.

“Why just Air India? What about others?” the court asked while rejecting the plea.

The top court also told the petitioner to withdraw his PIL and to move to the appropriate forum in case of grievances.

“Don't give the impression that you are playing with other airlines. Why target Air India only, which recently witnessed an unfortunate tragedy? If you want some regulatory mechanism in place, then why did you not make other airlines a party in your petition? Why only Air India?” the bench asked.

The plea was filed in the wake of a recent crash of an Air India Boeing plane in Ahmedabad, in which 241 passengers and crew members were killed.

The London-bound Air India flight, Boeing Dreamliner 787-8, had crashed moments after taking off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad on 12 June afternoon.

Goswami, a lawyer, has also sought a comprehensive safety audit of Tata-owned Air India's entire fleet by an international aviation safety agency.

He claimed to be a victim of "some unfortunate incident" with the airline.

During the hearing, Justice Kant said,“We also travel every week and know the status. There was a tragedy, a very unfortunate one. This is not a time to run down an airline.”

Additionally, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) was sought to be directed to implement and enforce a transparent, publicly accessible reporting system for all aviation safety incidents, including a centralised database, ensuring compliance with the Aircraft Rules, 1937, and international best practices.

A separate petition is pending before the apex court seeking directions to suspend the operations of all Boeing aircraft operated by the airline until a safety audit is completed.

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