Kerala HC grants bail to all 41 accused in temple fireworks tragedy

The court however instructed them to surrender their passports to the police and not the leave the state

Kerala High Court today granted bail to all the 41 accused in the Puttingal Devi temple fire work tragedy, that claimed 109 lives at Paravoor in Kollam district in April.

Granting bail to them, Justice P Ubaid instructed them to surrender their passports to the police and not to leave the state.

The court observed police have not yet filed a chargesheet in the case in spite of 91 days (it is mandatory to file charge sheet in 90 days) passing after the incident.

The accused included 15 managing committee members of the temple, firework contractor and his workers.

The accused were charged under section 304 of IPC (culpable homicide not amounting to murder)

The gruesome incident took place on the early hours of April 10 during a festival at the temple.

One hundred and nine people were killed and 383 persons injured in the major fire that engulfed the 100-year-old Puttingal Devi Temple complex in the fireworks, for which no permission had been granted by the authorities.