Telangana HC orders progress report on Sigachi factory blast probe

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Tuesday, November 4, directed the state government to submit a progress report on the investigation into the Sigachi Industries reactor explosion at Pasmailaram in Patancheru mandal of Sangareddy district, which claimed 54 lives.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice GM Mohiuddin questioned whether any arrests had been made based on witness testimonies and sought an explanation on the findings mentioned in the expert committee’s report.

Submit detailed compensation list: Bench

The bench further ordered the government to submit a detailed list of the compensation distributed so far to the victims’ families and the injured, as announced earlier.

The court adjourned further hearing to November 27, directing the management of Sigachi Industries to file a counter-affidavit.

The bench was hearing a public interest litigation filed by Hyderabad-based petitioner K Baburao, who sought a probe by a Special Investigation Team (SIT), alleging delay in investigation and compensation disbursement.

No arrests made even after 4 months: Petitioner

The petitioner’s counsel, advocate Vasudha Nagaraj, argued that even after four months, no arrests had been made, and the compensation announced by the government and company was yet to reach several victims.

Additional Advocate General Thera Rajanikant Reddy informed the court that the investigation was ongoing and statements from 192 witnesses had been recorded. When the bench pointed out that the company’s vice president had also died in the explosion and asked whether that exempted other responsible officials from accountability, the AAG said the factory premises had been taken over by the Labour Department.

Compensation details

Responding to the bench’s queries regarding compensation, the AAG said the management had released Rs 40 lakh to each deceased worker’s family so far, and Rs 25 lakh for each of the missing workers, against their earlier assurance of Rs 1 crore per deceased.

After hearing the arguments, the bench directed the concerned authorities to submit a comprehensive report covering all investigation details, witness accounts, and compensation disbursement status before the next hearing.