The mother of late Captain Mohannad Yousef Al Hindi filed a writ petition in the High Court on Monday against the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB), its Chairman Muhammad Mafidur Rahman, Gulf Air Country Manager Isa Shah, and Co-Pilot Khalil Abdul Razak.
The petition alleges CAAB's failure and refusal to investigate Gulf Air and seeks sanctions and penalties against the airline.
The mother, Samiha, holds Gulf Air officials and United Hospital responsible for her son's death, citing negligence while he was on duty as a senior pilot for Gulf Air.
The CAAB chairman could not be reached for comments in this regard.
Captain Mohannad Yousef Al Hindi died on December 14, 2022, while receiving treatment at United Hospital. According to the mother, United Hospital misdiagnosed three heart attacks, leading to delays in treatment.
Additionally, Gulf Air is accused of not following FAA rules when assigning Captain Mohannad Yousef Al Hindi to a flight despite the pilot having 99% blockage in his heart.
Samiha, the deceased captain's mother, expressed her frustration, saying: "Bahrain and Gulf Air are trying hard to evade responsibility for my son's death by manipulating Bangladesh's legal system and obstructing justice."
She added: "My son served Gulf Air for 25 years. Why didn't Gulf Air hold United Hospital doctors accountable? How long do they think they can evade justice? What are they hiding? He died in his uniform. They have taken my son's hard-earned Islamic inheritance hostage to pressure us into dropping legal action against them and the doctors, which is shameful."
"If my son had experienced the heart attack half an hour later while flying, it would have been a different tragedy, but thankfully, he didn't die in the cockpit, potentially saving many innocent lives. This is how Gulf Air repays him," she added.
The mother called upon Bangladesh's prime minister to intervene and ensure justice for her son.
She said: "I appeal to the prime minister to instruct her government not to show favouritism and not to conspire with Gulf Air and doctors to obstruct justice. She should also ensure the safety of my daughter in Dhaka as we seek justice for my firstborn. My son was serving the Bangladeshi people when he was killed; he was your guest."
The writ petition highlights CAAB's alleged failure to uphold the Civil Aviation Authority Act, which grants it authority to penalize any airline operator operating in Bangladesh.
Despite a previous High Court order in a writ petition filed by the pilot's sister, CAAB claimed it had no authority to investigate a foreign airline.
Barrister Saqeb Mahbub, the lawyer representing Samiha, argued that CAAB's authority extends to all airline operators in Bangladesh, as stipulated in the Civil Aviation Authority Act.