Legal Turbulence: Controversy Surrounds AAIB's Summoning of Crash Victim's Relative

The Federation of Indian Pilots has issued a legal notice to the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau for summoning Captain Varun Anand, the nephew of the deceased pilot in a 2025 Air India crash. The FIP argues the summoning is arbitrary, lacking lawful investigative basis, merely relying on familial ties.

The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) is raising concerns over the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau's (AAIB) recent actions in the probe of the deadly Air India crash in June 2025. A legal notice has been served by FIP questioning the validity of summoning Captain Varun Anand, nephew of the departed pilot, Sumeet Sabharwal.

The crash of the Boeing 787-8 in Ahmedabad, resulting in 260 fatalities, has led AAIB to reach out to Captain Varun Anand. However, FIP criticizes this move, stating that Anand holds no technical or factual ties to the incident, beyond his kinship with Sabharwal, a pilot on the flight.

The FIP's legal notice challenges the lack of clarity in AAIB's demand for Anand's presence, labeling the decision as 'impermissible in law.' Despite AAIB's insistence on its investigative rights under the 2025 rules, the absence of specifying Anand's relevance to the crash inquiry is contested by FIP.

(With inputs from agencies.)