A public interest litigation (PIL) has been moved before the Bombay High Court, seeking a court-monitored investigation into the Learjet crash in Baramati on January 28, which claimed the lives of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and five others.

Social activist Ketan Tirodkar has approached the Bombay High Court seeking directions to the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to investigate the “accidental death” of the Deputy Chief Minister.

He has also sought the constitution of a judicial commission headed by a retired High Court judge, with aviation experts including a former Director of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and a chief maintenance engineer from a commercial airline.

In his petition, Tirodkar states that he wrote to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on February 20, requesting a CID probe into the crash.

He further claims to have filed multiple Right to Information (RTI) applications with the DGCA, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), the Chief Minister’s Office and the Baramati police, seeking details ranging from flight booking records to black box analysis and regulatory clearances for the aircraft.

According to Tirodkar, he was compelled to move the High Court after receiving no response to his representations or RTI queries.

The PIL flags several concerns, including the alleged last-minute change from road travel to air travel and the replacement of two initially deputed pilots, reportedly owing to a traffic jam. It also points to repeated landing requests for different runways at Baramati and questions whether the Learjet was properly registered in India or was operating under a US registration.

The petition relies on public statements and press conferences by MLA Rohit Pawar, nephew of the late Deputy CM, who has alleged operational irregularities and shared purported chats involving airline staff, pilots and politicians.

The matter is yet to be listed for hearing.