Why only Air India? Supreme Court junks PIL for safety audit of Air India fleet

The Supreme Court on Friday rejected a public interest litigation (PIL) petition seeking constitution of a committee headed by a retired Supreme Court judge to independently audit Air India's safety practices, maintenance procedures

The petition by one Narendra Kumar Goswami also sought a comprehensive safety audit of Air India's entire fleet by an international aviation safety agency

However, a Bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi asked the petitioner why he was singling out Air India.

"Why just Air India? What about others?" the Court asked while rejecting the petition.

Another petition is pending before the top court seeking directions for suspension of operations of all Boeing aircraft operated by Air India until a safety audit is completed.

That plea was moved in the wake of a recent crash of an Air India Boeing aircraft operating on the Ahmedabad - London route which killed 241 passengers and crew members on board and 29 persons on the ground.