The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that asked for the appointment of a committee headed by a retired judge of the Supreme Court to independently examine the safety and maintenance practices of Air India.
The petition, which was filed last month after a crash, urged for a comprehensive safety audit of Air India's fleet by an international aviation safety agency with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) accreditation.
At the hearing, the court raised an eyebrow over the one-dimensional approach of the plea. "Why Air India alone? Why not other airlines?" the bench inquired, declining to accept the petition.
The judges were troubled by the petitioner targeting only a single airline. "It was a very tragic incident. But why single out one airline because a tragedy occurred? Are there no safety concerns with other airlines?" the bench noted.
The court also warned against giving the impression that the petition was working to the benefit of a competing private airline.
Rather, the bench urged the petitioner to approach the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) or the Union government first with safety issues.
"If you also want to ensure safety, then go to the DGCA or Union govt and make all domestic and international airlines accountable. If the government does not do it, then we will step in," concluded the Supreme Court.
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