Air India Crash: Petition Filed In Supreme Court By Doctors, Asks CJI To Take Suo Motu Cognizance
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Two top doctors have urged the Supreme Court to take suo motu action and direct Rs 50 lakh compensation for families of BJMC doctors and students killed in the AI-171 crash. They call the deaths a national loss to India’s healthcare future.
New Delhi: Today, on June 13, After the heartbreaking crash of Air India flight AI-171 on June 12, two well-known medical professionals have written to the Supreme Court of India, asking it to take suo motu action and order the Central Government to give an interim compensation of Rs 50 lakh to the families of each person who died in the tragedy.
The petition has been submitted as an open letter to Chief Justice of India, Justice BR Gavai. It has been signed by Dr. Saurav Kumar, a neurosurgeon and alumnus of AIIMS, New Delhi, and Dr. Dhruv Chauhan, a well-known health influencer and the National Spokesperson of the Indian Medical Association – Junior Doctors Network (IMA-JDN).
The letter has been submitted through Supreme Court Advocate Satyam Singh.
The petition talks about the massive human loss, especially the deaths of young doctors and students from BJ Medical College (BJMC) in Ahmedabad, which was directly hit in the crash.
It says the current rules on compensation are not enough to deal with such a huge tragedy.
The doctors have raised special concern about the loss of resident doctors and MBBS students from BJMC, where the Air India aircraft fell and caused serious damage to hostels and residential buildings inside the medical campus.
Many students and doctors were either resting or having lunch when the crash happened.
the petition says,
“The tragic loss of young medical students… is not merely personal but a loss to the entire nation,”
It adds that their death is
“a blow to the country’s healthcare future.”
The horrific incident took place on June 12, 2025, when Air India’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner (Flight AI-171) took off from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1:38 PM, heading to London Gatwick.
Just a minute after take-off, the plane lost contact with air traffic control and crashed into a crowded area in Bopal, only about 3 km from the airport.
Out of the 242 people on board, 241 died. The passengers included 169 Indian citizens, 53 British nationals, 7 Portuguese nationals, 1 Canadian national, and 10 crew members.
Only one person on board survived. The crash caused fires in several buildings, including the hostel and residential blocks of BJ Medical College.
It has been reported that at least three resident doctors and five MBBS students lost their lives in the incident, while more than 50 others suffered critical injuries. The actual number of casualties may still go up as more information comes in.
In their letter, the petitioners have made several requests to the Supreme Court. They are asking for:
- Immediate interim compensation of ₹50 lakh for the family of each person who died in the crash.
- A High-Level Expert Committee to be formed with retired judges, aviation experts, actuaries, and economists, to decide the fair amount of compensation.
- Air India should quickly pay the rightful compensation to the families and not make them wait through long and painful legal processes.
- The government should provide rehabilitation support, including jobs for eligible members of the deceased families.
- A full investigation into the crash and major changes to be made in aviation safety systems.
The petition especially highlights how this accident has affected India’s future medical workforce. Many young doctors from BJMC who were eating at the hostel mess during the crash either died or were badly injured.
the letter says,
“These students were training to become doctors who would serve the nation’s health needs… Their loss is not merely personal but a loss to the entire nation,”
The doctors end their letter by saying that our country’s current laws and systems are not enough to deal with such big tragedies. They request the Supreme Court to act quickly and help the families with dignity and fairness.
the petition argues,
“The principle of access to justice under Article 21 requires that victims’ families should not be compelled to undergo years of litigation to receive basic compensation for their survival and dignity,”
Air India has activated an emergency response center and provided a helpline number (1800 5691 444) for families seeking updates. It will release further information via regular updates on its X handle (https://x.com/airindia) and on http://airindia.com.
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