The First Bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice R Mahadevan before whom the petition filed by one of the deceased children’s father K Inbaraj came up for hearing directed the counsel for the petitioners to serve notice on the schools involved in the accident and posted the matter for further hearing to July 13. 

The matter relates to 94 children who were charred to death and many others who suffered grievous injuries in Sri Krishna Aided Primary School and Saraswathi Primary School at Kumbakonam. The Madras High Court appointed Justice K Venkatraman, a retired judge of the Madras High Court, as a one-man commission to fix the compensation to the families of victims. 

The judge fixed the compensation at Rs 5 lakh each to the families of 94 children, who were charred to death. Regarding the injured children, the commission found it very difficult to find out the injuries at this stage and awarded Rs 50,000 as compensation in addition to Rs 25,000 already paid by the government.

Aggrieved by the compensation fixed by the commission, a writ petition was filed seeking to enhance the compensation to Rs 25 lakh instead of Rs 5 lakh. It also pleaded for Rs 20 lakh for six injured students instead of Rs 5 lakh fixed by the commission. In the case of those who sustained minor injuries the petitioner prayed to enhance the compensation from Rs 50, 000 to Rs 5 lakh.