Plea seeks interim aid for victims, top court's probe into Air India plane crash

A plea has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking urgent intervention and action in connection with the tragic crash of Air India flight 171 in Ahmedabad, which killed 265 people.

The plea was filed by two medical professionals who called for immediate steps to ensure justice and adequate compensation for the victims and their families.

It urged the Supreme Court to take note of the incident and direct the Centre to announce and disburse interim compensation of Rs 50 lakh to each family of the victims, including resident doctors who were present at BJ Medical College in Ahmedabad, where the Air India plane crashed.

The plea sought the constitution of a high-level expert committee comprising retired Supreme Court or High Court judges, aviation experts, actuaries and economists. The committee would be tasked with assessing and awarding final compensation, in line with the principles laid down in Triveni Kodkany vs Air India Limited (Supra).

The petition also called for directions to Air India Limited to expedite settlement of compensation claims, avoiding prolonged litigation for grieving families. Additional reliefs requested include government-provided rehabilitation measures such as employment opportunities for eligible family members of the deceased.

Moreover, the plea demanded a thorough investigation into the cause of the crash and necessary action to prevent similar tragedies in the future.

Air India plane tragically crashed moments after taking off from Ahmedabad airport on Thursday afternoon. There were 230 passengers, including 169 Indians and 53 British nationals, and 12 crew members on the flight, of whom only one person survived.

So far, at least 265 people were killed after the London-bound flight hit a resident doctors' hostel building.

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