The family of the late Captain Sumit Kamal Kapur, a pilot who tragically lost his life in the Baramati air crash alongside Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, has approached the Delhi High Court to seek the release of an insurance claim amounting to ₹85.6 lakh. The petition has been filed by Kapur’s widow, Anju Kapur, and their children, requesting the court to direct New India Assurance Co. Ltd. to disburse the insurance funds under a loss of licence policy held via the Federation of Indian Pilots.
On July 21, the petition was presented before Justice Jasmeet Singh, who issued notices to the involved parties, including New India Assurance, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), Howden Insurance Brokers India Pvt. Ltd., and the Federation of Indian Pilots. These respondents have been given time to respond to the notice, and the case is scheduled for its subsequent hearing on August 19.
Captain Kapur, an experienced commercial pilot with more than 22,000 flying hours and an Airline Transport Pilot Licence since 1985, perished in the unfortunate crash on January 28, 2026, in Baramati, Maharashtra. Following the incident, New India Assurance declined the family’s insurance claim through a letter dated June 25. In response, the petitioners have approached the court, highlighting that the insurer had extended the deadline for policy renewal and new enrolments until January 31, 2026. Thus, the petitioners argue that the insurer cannot utilize Section 64VB of the Insurance Act, 1938, concerning premium payments, to avoid liability as the crash occurred within this extended period.
Besides demanding the release of the principal claim amount, the petitioners are also seeking interest on the sum under clause 14(2)(ii) of the IRDAI (Protection of Policyholders’ Interests) Regulations, 2017. Furthermore, the plea requests the court to instruct the IRDAI to conduct a thorough investigation and establish an expert committee or special review committee to examine what they deem to be a wrongful and arbitrary denial of insurance claims by New India Assurance.
The petitioners are represented by a team of advocates, including Saurav Agarwal, Ritika Jhurani, Dinesh Sharma, Abhishek Kandwal, Raadhika Chawla, Prachi Dubey, Gauri Bansal, and Anadi Mishra.
