Kerala temple tragedy: Seven absconding officials surrender, HC to hear ban on fireworks display

Kollam: The Kerala High Court is due to hear on Tuesday a PIL seeking a ban on display of high decibel firecrackers during religious events across the state, days after at least 109 people died in a firecracker tragedy at a temple in Kollam.

Justice Chidambaresh of the Kerala High Court had written a letter to the Chief Justice seeking a ban on high decibel firecrackers. The Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court then decided to hear the matter as a public interest litigation and the same would be taken up today.

Amid the high court hearing, the Kerala Police, which is investigating the Puttingal temple tragedy, will take a call on defusing the firecrackers that it had seized during the raids.

In a related development, seven committee members of the temple have surrendered before the police.

Rajendran Pillai, P S Jayalal, Krishnakutty Pillai, Ravindran Pillai and Shivaprasad were among the seven committee members of the Puttingal temple who surrendered before the police on Tuesday morning.

The Kerala police, following the incident, had been on the hunt for 15 committee members on the charge that they had violated norms in conducting the fireworks display.

The temple has maintained that it was a fireworks display and not a competition as is being alleged.

The district collector had denied permission for the event stating that it was not a display, but a competition.

Moreover, the temple had not sought a no-objection from the ten houses around the area. The residents of these houses have been complaining about the use of high decibel firecrackers.