Kerala temple fire: 5 committee members surrender, HC to hear plea on firecrackers

Kollam, April 12: All eyes will be on the Kerala High Court where a public interest litigation petition will be heard seeking a ban on high decibel firecrackers.

For the Kerala police, investigating the Puttingal temple tragedy would be an important one as it would have to take a call on defusing the firecrackers that it had seized during the raids. In another development, five committee members of the temple have surrendered before the police.

Yesterday, 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 decided to hear the matter as a public interest litigation and the same would be taken up today.

Five surrender:

Meanwhile in another development, five committee members of the temple have surrendered before the Kerala police. Rajendran Pillai, P S Jayalal, Krishnakutty Pillai, Ravindran Pillai and Shivaprasad who are committee members of the Puttingal temple surrendered before the police.

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.

OneIndia News