New Delhi, June 14: Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu will chair a high-level meeting on air safety at the ministry office on Saturday. The meeting comes in the wake of the tragic crash of Air India Flight AI-171 in Ahmedabad, which was en route from Ahmedabad to London’s Gatwick Airport on June 12.

The crash claimed the lives of at least 241 people. Only one individual is reported to have survived the crash.

The meeting, scheduled for 10:30 a.m., will be attended by the Civil Aviation Secretary, the Director General of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), officials from the Airports Authority of India, and other senior officials from related departments.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation also announced the formation of a high-level multi-disciplinary committee to examine the causes behind the devastating crash of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner.

According to the ministry, the committee will review the circumstances leading to the accident and assess the current Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and safety guidelines in civil aviation.

The ministry stated that the committee’s mandate will be to recommend a comprehensive framework for preventing and managing similar aviation incidents in the future.

Taking to X, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said, “The Committee will not be a substitute to other enquiries being conducted by relevant organisations but will focus on formulating SOPs for preventing and handling such occurrences in the future.”

The crash occurred just minutes after take-off from Ahmedabad airport when the aircraft lost altitude and spiralled into a medical college hostel located in a densely populated residential area. Many are feared killed and injured on the ground as the aircraft had burst into a ball of fire as it was carrying a lot of fuel for the long-haul flight.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the crash site on Friday and met with survivors undergoing treatment at the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital.

A team of 70-80 doctors is conducting post-mortem examinations to identify the deceased.

A formal investigation is underway to determine the cause of the crash. Forensic experts are examining the wreckage, and aviation authorities have launched a comprehensive probe to ascertain the factors that led to the fatal incident.

New Delhi, June 13: Following the devastating crash of Air India Flight AI-171 in Ahmedabad, which claimed 241 lives, Congress leader Udit Raj has launched a scathing attack on the aviation safety system in India, claiming that a Director at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) holds a fake degree and that oversight failure led to the tragedy.

Speaking to media, Udit Raj said, “DGCA director’s degree is fake. Such incidents are bound to happen when people with fake degrees are clearing safety standards. Sikkim University has stated that his degree is forged. A PIL has also been filed in the High Court. When such people sit in key positions in civil aviation, accidents are inevitable.”

The Congress leader expressed sorrow for the victims but questioned the government’s response and accountability: “This is an extremely tragic incident. My condolences are with the families of the deceased. But when the Home Minister simply calls it an ‘accident,’ it raises serious concerns. Should we now expect such accidents to become routine? There are ways to prevent them.”

He further stated that the government has failed to act despite red flags: “When the civil aviation director, responsible for safety, is sitting with a fake degree and no action is taken, it’s obvious why such tragedies occur. Even after a PIL was filed, the official was protected.”

Raj also criticised the political double standards, adding: “If the Congress were in power today, the BJP would have demanded the resignation of the Prime Minister himself. At the very least, the Civil Aviation Minister’s resignation would be called for. But we are not politicising this, we stand with the grieving families.”

The Air India Dreamliner had taken off from Ahmedabad on June 12 en route to Gatwick, London, but crashed moments later into a residential area, making it one of the worst aviation disasters in recent memory.

In addition to the 241 lives lost in the crash, many people died in the area where the ill-fated plane fell. The government has launched a probe into the tragic incident.

New Delhi, June 13: The Supreme Court on Friday turned down the prayer of former Karnataka Minister and Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni to grant him additional time to surrender before the concerned jail authorities in connection with the murder of BJP worker Yogesh Gowda.

A bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Manmohan refused to grant seven more days to Kulkarni, who was ordered on June 6 to “surrender before the concerned trial court or jail authority within a period of one week”.

In an order passed last Friday, the top court had allowed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)’s plea to cancel Kulkarni’s bail over allegations of witness tampering.

It had taken note of the Central agency’s submission that the accused, presently the Chairman of the Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board, attempted to contact witnesses through their friends and known persons to depose against the prosecution.

A bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and Satish Chandra said that there was “sufficient material on record” to suggest that attempts were made by Kulkarni to “either contact witnesses or alternatively, influence such witnesses”.

Keeping in mind the totality of circumstances, the Justice Karol-led Bench was of the considered opinion that the bail granted to Kulkarni should be cancelled. However, it “consciously” refrained from making detailed observations in respect of the allegation of witness-tampering.

In its order, the Supreme Court asked the trial court to make an endeavour to conclude the trial expeditiously, without being influenced by any of its observations contained in the order cancelling the bail of Kulkarni.

Earlier, the trial court had taken the view that it did not have the jurisdiction to consider the CBI’s application seeking cancellation of regular bail since Kulkarni was enlarged on bail by the Supreme Court.

The apex court observed that the trial court’s view was not in consonance with its decision in Gurcharan Singh vs. State (Delhi Admn.) case, and the court below could have entertained an application seeking cancellation of bail on the grounds of violation of bail conditions notwithstanding the fact that bail was granted by the Supreme Court.

Kulkarni was accused of conspiring in the murder of the BJP Zilla Panchayat member Yogesh Gowda in 2016. He was then a Cabinet minister in the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government. Though his name came up, no action was initiated against him. The BJP made it an issue, and former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa vowed at election rallies that he would send Kulkarni to jail if the BJP was voted to power. Later, the case was handed over to the CBI, and Kulkarni was arrested. He spent more than nine months in jail and finally obtained bail from the Supreme Court.