New Delhi, Sept. 23 -- The Supreme Court on Monday sought replies from the Union government and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), asking them to respond on how they propose to ensure a "free, fair, impartial and expeditious" investigation into the Air India plane crash that killed 260 people in June, and the need for a court-monitored probe by an independent investigator. A bench of justices Surya Kant and N Kotishwar Singh issued notices to the Centre and DGCA, seeking their responses in two weeks on a petition moved by NGO and aviation consultant Safety Matters Foundation. The court also described as "unfortunate" the public release of a preliminary report by DGCA that appeared to imply that one of the pilots could be at fault for moving the fuel control switches from "RUN" to "CUTOFF" seconds after takeoff, resulting in loss of thrust. P12...