SC quashes 'gimmick' PIL seeking probe into Mirage jet crash

The Supreme Court on Monday junked a PIL seeking a court-monitored probe into the crash of a Mirage fighter aircraft resulting in the death of two fighter pilots -- Squadron Leader Samir Abrol and Squadron Leader Siddartha Negi. Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, seated with Justice Sanjiv Khanna, asked the PIL petitioner as to which generation of fighter aircraft Mirage belongs to.

As the petitioner advocate looked for the answer, CJI Gogoi said that they were either third generation or third and a half generation aircraft. The third generation aircraft will crash. Rejecting the PIL as a "gimmick", the CJI Gogoi said: "An accident is an accident."