INS Viraat: Supreme Court stays dismantling of India’s first aircraft carrier

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In December last year, Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi wrote to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and sought his immediate intervention to grant NOC (no objection certificate) to preserve decommissioned aircraft carrier INS Viraat. She also requested the central government to make the iconic carrier a memorial of India’s nationalism, patriotism and pride.

INS Viraat, the world’s longest-serving warship, was decommissioned by the Indian Navy four years ago. It was the second centaur-class aircraft carrier that was in service with the Indian Navy for 30 years before being decommissioned in March 2017. There were proposals in the past to preserve it as a maritime museum.