A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed before the Madras High Court urging the formulation of clear guidelines to regulate media coverage following aviation accidents.

The plea, moved by advocate M. Pravin from Coimbatore, names the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) as respondents.

The petitioner has highlighted the increasing trend of speculative and premature reporting in the aftermath of aviation mishaps, especially by electronic and digital media platforms. Citing incidents such as the June 12 Air India accident in Ahmedabad, the plea alleges that the media often rushes to assign blame—particularly to pilots—even before official investigations are completed.

Such reporting, the PIL argues, not only defames deceased individuals but also causes immense distress to their families and undermines the public’s trust in aviation safety mechanisms.

"Baseless allegations and speculative narratives disseminated posthumously amount to reputational defamation of the deceased and cause avoidable emotional trauma to bereaved families," the petition states.

Despite sending a detailed representation to the relevant authorities on July 14, no substantive action has been taken, the petitioner claims. The PIL further asserts that unregulated media conduct violates the fundamental rights enshrined under Articles 14, 19(1)(a), and 21 of the Constitution.

The matter is expected to come up for hearing next week.