In the Ahmedabad Plane Crash matter, the Supreme Court was informed today that simulation tests have been conducted as part of the ongoing Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) enquiry and the final report of the agency would be ready by October.

A bench of CJI Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana was informed of the development by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta. The bench was dealing with a set of pleas seeking independent, Court-monitored investigation into the crash of Air India Flight, which took place shortly after its take off from Ahmedabad airport, killing 260 people, on June 12, 2025. One of the petitions has been filed by the father of pilot-Sumeet Sabharwal, who was flying the ill-fated Air India plane.

At the outset of the hearing, Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan (for Sumeet Sabharwal's father and the Federation of Indian Pilots) referred to an application filed bringing on record the findings of a US-based law firm, which has apparently found some discrepancies in the flight data. He claimed that a foreign firm has conducted 10 simulations and found that the RAT, which gets deployed upon takeoff in emergency situation arising from hydraulic/thrust/electronic failure, got deployed on the Air India plane while it was on ground.

The senior counsel submitted that even in the images of the Ahmedabad airport, near which the Air India flight crashed, the RAT can be seen hanging out from the aircraft. It was contended that the findings run contrary to alleged pilot interference, as the pilots start operating at a later stage.

Sankaranarayanan further urged that the Federation of Indian Pilots as well as the US law firm have written to the AAIB requesting for consideration of the above findings and conducting of simulation tests. However, no response has been received.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who was appearing alongwith the Director General of AAIB responded that more than 4 simulations have already been conducted by the investigating agency (AAIB). He further submitted that the government is conscious of the grievance of pilot-Sumeet Sabharwal's father and no adversarial stand is sought to be taken.

"I cannot take an adversarial stand against the father. We are also equally grieving for the loss of such an eminent pilot...4 simulation tests are already conducted and it would be a part of the record", the SG said.

In response, Justice Bagchi called on the SG to ask the AAIB to consider the foreign firm's findings. "AAIB must take into consideration and make its comments on it...whether it's reliable or not reliable".

The judge also remarked that despite the petitioners' prayer for an independent investigation (in view of international treaties to which India is a signatory), the court chose not to interfere with the AAIB enquiry (at this stage) as it had already begun and substantially advanced.

When Advocate Prashant Bhushan (also for petitioners) raised the issue of the composition of the AAIB enquiry team, which comprises 3 officials from DGCA, Justice Bagchi said that if the final report in the present case is "well merited and accepted" then the issue of requirement of independent enquiry can be gone into for future purposes. The judge assured that the Court has not rejected the plea concerning enquiry by a Court of Inquiry. We have only postponed the decision on it to await the AAIB report, Justice Bagchi said.

At the same time, Justice Bagchi also noted that the AAIB should have come out with an interim report by now. In this backdrop, the SG said that the final report is expected to come by mid-September (or latest by end of October). He submitted that as part of the enquiry, every part of the aircraft has to be sent to the place where it was manufactured and there is nothing the AAIB can do about it.

Later, Sankaranarayanan urged the Court to direct that the final report of AAIB should come in a sealed cover. He further prayed that the AAIB allow the Federation of Indian Pilots to place before it certain material regarding Air India and the particular Dreamliner aircraft which met with the tragedy.

The SG however said that the AAIB would be breaching international protocol if it took into consideration such material. Refuting the claim, Sankaranarayanan said that there would be no breach, as the investigating agency can take relevant material from any source.

Hearing the parties, Justice Bagchi said that without going into the question of breach, whatever data is there may be placed before the investigating agency, which in turn can take a call on it.

At last, the SG agreed that the material may be "officially" given by the Pilots' Federation. He also claimed that members of the Federation were invited to participate in the meetings and some of them did.

In response to Sankaranarayanan's request for a Court direction that the final report of AAIB shall come in a sealed cover, the SG assured that the report would come in sealed cover.

Case Title: PUSHKAR RAJ SABHARWAL AND ANR. Versus UNION OF INDIA AND ORS., W.P.(C) No. 1031/2025 (and connected cases)