India’s Supreme Court has clarified that a preliminary report on the tragic Air India crash in June, which claimed 260 lives, does not implicate the pilot in any wrongdoing. The court announced this on Friday, November 7, 2025, while agreeing to hear a plea from the pilot’s father, Pushkar Raj Sabharwal, on November 10. The 91-year-old has demanded an independent investigation led by a panel of aviation experts and overseen by a retired Supreme Court judge. This follows his criticism of the government’s initial probe, which he claims implied his son, Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, deliberately cut the plane’s fuel supply after takeoff. The government has refuted these allegations, describing its investigation as ‘very clean’ and ‘thorough.’ Earlier this year, India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau released an interim report stating that the plane’s fuel engine switches had simultaneously moved from ‘run’ to ‘cutoff’ shortly after takeoff. The case continues to draw significant attention as the court prepares to address the plea for an independent inquiry.
India’s top court says Air India crash report does not insinuate anything against pilot
