Synopsis: A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking to immediately close the Kozhikode International Airport and order a court-monitored open investigation into the plane crash, in which at least 18 people were killed, is been filed at the Kerala High Court.
A PIL has filed in the Kerala High Court seeking closure of Kozhikode International Airport, also known as Calicut Airport, until compliance with domestic and international air regulations is ensured. Advocate Yeshwanth Shenoy filed the petition in the aftermath of the plane crash which took place at the airport on 7th August. The petition, which was filed on Friday, also demanded a criminal investigation by the Central Investigation Bureau (CBI) into the cause of the plane crash.
Shenoy, in his petition, argues that the air crash was similar to the Mangalore air crash that occurred on 22th May, 2010, claiming that many alerts had been given to airport officials and state authorities before both the airport crashes, especially after the Mangalore crash.
He alleged that the officials intentionally avoided any disciplinary action to rectify them and cited many references to the then Prime Minister and Chief Justice of India, Justice VR Krishna Iyer’s emails/letters about the state of aviation safety in the country.
The plea named the Union of India, India ‘s Airport Authority, Civil Aviation Directorate-General, Air India Express and Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau as respondents.
The plea claimed that aviation safety is in a critical state at Kozhikode airport and at other airports across the country and claimed that due to rampant corruption and system failure several standards prescribed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and other domestic norms are being deliberately violated in India.
It also called for Jasbir Singh Larhga to be excluded from the investigators’ panel citing his questionable investigation in the Ghatkoper crash and try to replace him with an impeccable honesty, more fitting officer. The appeal, appealing for a criminal investigation into the accident, said that the local police are unable to tackle the dynamics of air crash inquiries that expose faults of government agencies not situated in Kozhikode.
The complaint submitted that there is a prima facie basis for the intervention of the CBI and we will never be in a position to prevent such air accidents in the absence of these investigation and criminal trial of the officers involved.