The Supreme Court on Friday (August 8, 2025) refused to entertain a plea to examine Air India’s safety regulatory mechanism, saying an impression must not be given that the airline is being targeted after the recent horrendous crash of its London-bound flight with 242 passengers and crew onboard at an Ahmedabad airport on June 12.

A Bench headed by Justice Surya Kant asked petitioner-in-person, N.K. Goswami, why he did not ask the same thing for 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 as party in your petition? Why only Air India?” Justice Kant asked Mr. Goswami.

The petitioner replied that he had specifically mentioned Air India as he too was a victim of an “unfortunate incident” with the airline.

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

Seeks independent probe

Mr. Goswami had sought directions for constituting an independent committee, headed by a retired Supreme Court judge to examine Air India’s safety practices, maintenance procedures, and operational protocols, with a report to be submitted within three months.

He also sought a direction for a comprehensive safety audit of Air India’s entire fleet by an international aviation safety agency accredited by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), addressing deficiencies identified in the 2024 ICAO audit report, to be completed within six months.

The petitioner finally chose to withdraw his plea.