The Delhi High Court on Wednesday dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking directions to reveal the exact time the fuel switch turned from 'run' to 'cut-off' on the Air India plane that crashed in Ahmedabad in June last year. .A Division Bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhayaya and Tejas Karia noted that the petitioner was also seeking directions to the investigating authorities to provide a complete timeline of events, including the time when the aircraft’s engine went 'flameout'. Flameout of a jet engine means the unintentional extinguishment of the combustion process causing the engine to stop producing thrust which pushes the plane forward. The Bench also recorded that the petitioner was asking the Court to read down the July 2025 preliminary investigation report. The Court observed that such prayers cannot be granted because it cannot read down investigation reports. The Court added that the petitioner could have filed an application under the Right to Information Act (RTI Act) to access the information.The PIL was filed by one Suresh Chand Shrivastava, arguing that the preliminary report prepared by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) does not provide certain crucial information into the crash. It was stated that the petitioner is entitled to have complete information about the time fuel switches were turned off and whether they were done by the pilots. He said he also has the right to know the time of the flameout of each engine. The petitioner further said that it was highly probable that the reason for the flameout of each engine was the engine surge. .However, the Court said that it is not an expert body to interfere with the preliminary report of an ongoing investigation. “You are asking us the exact time from the ‘run’ to ‘cutoff’… What can be read down is the statute if it is in violation of the Constitution… The report says what it says. We are not experts in the field who can read down the report. This is only a preliminary report we don’t have the expertise to get into veracity of it,” the Bench remarked. It added that while it shares the concerns raised by the petitioners over the crash, no directions can be issued to read down the report or provide details that the petitioner is seeking. .Follow Bar and Bench channel on WhatsAppDownload the Bar and Bench Mobile app for instant access to the latest legal news.
