The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking a safety audit of Air India, questioning why the airline, recently struck by a tragic crash, was singled out. The bench, comprising Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi, advised petitioner Narendera Kumar Goswami, a lawyer, to withdraw his plea and approach the appropriate forum for grievances, cautioning against the perception of unfairly targeting Air India.

“Why only Air India, which faced an unfortunate tragedy?” Justice Kant asked Goswami, noting that other airlines were not included in the petition. The court emphasized that the timing of the PIL, following the June 12 crash of Air India flight AI-171 in Ahmedabad, seemed inappropriate. The London-bound Boeing Dreamliner 787-8, carrying 242 passengers and crew, crashed shortly after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, marking a devastating incident for the airline.

Goswami’s PIL, filed in July, demanded an independent committee led by a retired Supreme Court judge to review Air India’s safety practices, maintenance procedures, and operational protocols, with a report due within three months. It also sought a comprehensive fleet safety audit by an International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)-accredited agency to address deficiencies noted in the 2024 ICAO report. Additionally, the plea called for a transparent, publicly accessible aviation safety incident reporting system under the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and compensation for victims of the AI-171 crash per the Montreal Convention, 1999, alongside ex-gratia payments for passengers of another incident involving flight AI-143.

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The court, however, expressed skepticism about the petitioner’s motives, with Justice Kant stating, “We travel weekly and know the situation. This is not the time to run down an airline.” The dismissal underscores the court’s reluctance to intervene in regulatory matters without broader inclusion of other airlines, urging Goswami to pursue alternative channels for his concerns.

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