SC dismisses plea for judicial probe into fighter plane crashes

NEWDELHI: Dismissing a petition demanding a judicial probe into the recent incidents of fighter plane crashes, including the recent one of Mirage-2000 trainer aircraft near Bengaluru in which two Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots were killed, the Supreme Court on Monday remarked that the fighter plane was “bound to crash” since it was an outdated machinery.

“Mirage-2000 aircraft is either a 3 or 3.5 generation of fighter jets. It is bound to crash. Everyone else is using 5th or 6th generation aircraft,” Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi said while dismissing the petition filed by advocate Alakh Alok Srivastava. The other judge on the bench was Justice Sanjiv Khanna.

“You do not even know the factual things but you need judicial enquiry. How can the court undertake judicial enquiry into such mishaps,” CJI Gogoi said. He spared Srivastava of heavy cost. “We are not imposing a fine on you since you are a lawyer,” the CJI said.

The petition had sought direction to the Centre to take steps to ensure that such aircraft crashes do not occur in the future. Filed after Mirage -2000 trainer aircraft had crashed on February 1 at the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Airport in Bengaluru, killing both pilots — Squadron Leader Samir Abrol and Squadron Leader Siddhartha Negi, both from Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment, the PIL wanted a court-appointed committee to conduct a thorough probe into the incident.

He wanted the panel to be headed by a retired judge of the top court and comprise experts from Indian defence services.