New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday declined to entertain a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking the appointment of a retired apex court judge to investigate Air India’s safety standards and other operational aspects, questioning the petitioner on why only one airline was singled out.

According to a media report, a bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi asked the petitioner, lawyer Narendera Kumar Goswami, to withdraw his plea and approach the appropriate forum if he had any specific grievances.

“Don’t give the impression that you are playing with other airlines. Why target Air India only, which recently witnessed an unfortunate tragedy? If you are seeking a regulatory mechanism, why didn’t you include other airlines as parties in your petition? Why only Air India?” the bench questioned, as per the reports.

Goswami, appearing in person, claimed to be a victim of “some unfortunate incident” involving the airline.

Justice Kant further remarked, “We also travel every week and are aware of the situation. There was a tragedy, a very unfortunate one. This is not the time to run down an airline.”

The PIL, filed in July, requested the constitution of an independent committee headed by a retired Supreme Court judge to examine Air India’s safety protocols, maintenance standards, and operational procedures, with a report to be submitted within three months.

Additionally, Goswami sought a comprehensive safety audit of Air India’s fleet by an international aviation safety agency accredited by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), to address deficiencies identified in ICAO’s 2024 audit, and complete the audit within six months.

The petition also asked the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to enforce a transparent and publicly accessible reporting system for all aviation safety incidents, with a centralised database aligned with the Aircraft Rules, 1937, and international best practices, as per the reports.

Furthermore, the PIL sought a direction for Air India to compensate the families of the victims of the AI-171 crash in line with the Montreal Convention, 1999, and to offer ex gratia payments or compensation to passengers of AI-143 for the inconvenience caused by a safety-related incident, as per the reports.

The petition was filed in the wake of a tragic accident on June 12, when Air India’s London-bound flight AI-171, a Boeing Dreamliner 787-8 carrying 242 passengers and crew, crashed shortly after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad.