Air India crash: HC dismisses plea seeking guidelines for media coverage

The Madras High Court has dismissed a plea that sought guidelines for media coverage of aviation accidents from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the Director General of Civil Aviation, and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, LiveLaw reported.

The bench of Chief Justice MM Shrivastava and Justice Sunder Mohan reportedly dismissed the plea by Advocate M Pravin.

Speaking of media coverage after the Air India plane crash, Pravin had earlier told Newslaundry, “A total of 242 people, including the pilots and cabin crew, lost their lives. Yet, many in the media and on social media, people with little to no understanding of aviation, are spinning conspiracy theories and blaming the pilots for the crash, despite the investigation still being underway…the DGCA’s silence has only added to the confusion, allowing speculation to flourish. After the release of the preliminary report, this misinformation has become even more rampant.”

“Baseless allegations and speculative narratives disseminated posthumously amount to reputational defamation of the deceased and cause avoidable emotional trauma to bereaved families. Despite a detailed representation dated July 14,2025,  sent to the secretary, civil aviation ministry, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, no concrete steps have been taken,” his petition claimed.

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