Puttingal temple tragedy: Kerala HC grants bail to all accused

 The Kerala High Court on Monday granted conditional bail to 41 accused in the Puttingal temple fire tragedy in Kerala in which  109 persons lost lives and more than 300 injured.

 The court granted bail three months after the incident under the condition that the accused shall surrender their passport and shall not leave the state. The court had earlier granted bail for two among the 43 accused in the case. Most of the accused are members of the temple managing committee and the fireworks contractors. 

The accident at the 100-year-old Puttingal Devi Temple in Kollam happened during the festival where firework competition was held without proper permission from authorities. A spark from the crackers fell on the storehouse of crackers, triggering massive explosions. 

Police filed a case under Sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide) under the Indian Penal Code and under Section 4 of Explosive Substances Act. The Crime Branch, which conducted a probe into the incident, found temple managing committee members and contractors, who held the pyrotechnic display, despite a ban on the same, as guilty.  

• Puttingal fire tragedy
• bail for accused
• Kerala fireworks tragedy