Kanhangad: The District Sessions Court has stayed the bail granted by the Hosdurg First Class Judicial Magistrate to those arrested in the Nileshwar firecracker accident. The court revoked the bail and instructed that the persons in remand should not be released from jail. District Judge Sanu S. Panicker ordered to issue notices to them to appear in court, highlighting that the case was taken up suo motu by the District Court.

Among those granted bail by Magistrate Balu Dinesh were the temple committee president P.K. Chandrasekharan, K.T. Bharathan, and P. Rajesh, who allegedly set off the firecrackers. The bail was granted under specific conditions, including two sureties.

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Chandrasekharan and Bharathan were released from jail within hours, but Rajesh remained incarcerated as no one appeared for his bail. Due to a High Court directive, Rajesh was not released from the district jail on Saturday.

The incident occurred in the early hours of last Monday when fire erupted in a storage area during a festival celebration, resulting in injuries to over 200 people. Tragically, one individual succumbed to injuries with several others in critical condition.

'Attempt to Murder'

In the light of severity of the situation, the police registered a case against nine individuals, including charges of attempted murder. Four of the accused have been arrested. K.V. Vijayan, who allegedly assisted Rajesh in setting off the firecrackers, is the fourth accused. The district court’s ruling came while Vijayan’s bail plea was pending in Hosdurg.

The stay order from the District Court stated that the fire was set off without proper permission, and the seriousness of the charges warranted immediate action. The appeal was filed by the investigating team seeking to overturn the bail granted by the Hosdurg court.

While the bail was originally granted based on arguments that the incident was accidental, the primary investigation has indicated otherwise, prompting the police to include charges of attempted murder in their appeal, as stated by District Public Prosecutor Adv. P. Venugopal.

The individual who tragically died in the incident was Sandeep from Choyamkode, who suffered severe burns and was being treated at a private hospital in Kannur. He had over 40 percent burns and was on a ventilator; his death was confirmed on Saturday evening.