New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India on Friday came out strongly in defence of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, the Air India pilot who lost his life in the tragic Ahmedabad plane crash, observing that there was no evidence to blame him for the accident. The court made the remarks while hearing a plea filed by the pilot’s 91-year-old father, Pushkaraj Sabharwal, seeking a fair and transparent probe into the incident.

Court assures pilot’s family of fairness

A Bench comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi issued notices to the Centre and the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), directing them to respond to the petition. The court also assured the grieving father that his son bore no fault in the crash.

“You should not carry the burden on yourself. The pilot is not to be blamed for the plane crash. It was an accident. There is no insinuation against him even in the preliminary report,” the Bench told Pushkaraj Sabharwal, offering a rare moment of compassion from the country’s highest court.

The Bench also remarked that certain sections of international media, particularly a Wall Street Journal article, had engaged in “nasty reporting only to blame India.” The court emphasised that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Board’s (AAIB) preliminary report dated July 12 made no suggestion of pilot error, and that its purpose was not to assign blame, but to recommend preventive measures to avoid similar tragedies in the future.

“If necessary, we will clarify that the pilot cannot be blamed,” the Bench stated firmly.

Background of the case

The tragic Air India Flight AI171 crash, which occurred on June 12, 2025, claimed 260 lives — including 229 passengers, 12 crew members, and 19 people on the ground — when the London-bound aircraft crashed moments after takeoff from Ahmedabad Airport. The catastrophic accident is one of India’s worst aviation disasters in recent years.

The petition filed by Captain Sabharwal’s father requested the court to ensure that the investigation remains independent and that his son’s name is not unfairly tarnished by speculative reporting or misinformation. The case will next be heard on November 10, alongside other petitions related to the accident.

Who was Captain Sumeet Sabharwal?

Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, 54, was a veteran Air India pilot with nearly three decades of flying experience. He had logged over 8,200 flight hours according to DGCA data, though colleagues believe his actual flying experience was even higher, given his long career spanning multiple aircraft types.

Described by peers as a quiet and diligent professional, Captain Sabharwal had flown a variety of aircraft, including the Airbus A310, Boeing 777, and the Dreamliner. “He was a calm, composed pilot who never sought attention. He just focused on doing his job,” said one of his colleagues.

A resident of Jal Vayu Vihar, Powai (Mumbai), he had recently promised his 82-year-old father, a retired DGCA official, that he would take time off work to spend a few days with him. That meeting, tragically, never took place.

The human toll of the tragedy

Captain Sabharwal was among nine Mumbai-based crew members on the ill-fated flight. The families of the passengers and crew, who had been anxiously waiting for updates at Heathrow Airport, were left devastated when news of the crash broke.

In Mumbai, officials from a medical laboratory visited the Sabharwal residence in Powai to collect DNA samples for identification. Despite the unbearable loss, the pilot’s aged father and sister — who had travelled from Delhi — have reportedly remained composed, determined to see their son’s name cleared of any blame.

A moment of judicial empathy

The Supreme Court’s intervention has been hailed as a gesture of humanity and fairness, particularly in a case where media speculation and grief have intertwined. By asserting that no pilot error was found in the preliminary report, the court reaffirmed the principle that investigations must be guided by evidence, not conjecture.

The court’s remarks have brought solace to Captain Sabharwal’s family and renewed public attention on the importance of responsible reporting, especially in the aftermath of national tragedies.

As the case proceeds, the families of the victims continue to await a comprehensive explanation of what caused the disaster — and the assurance that lessons will be learned to prevent future tragedies in Indian skies.