Sentence of 5 convicts in Kumbakonam school fire case suspended

The gruesome accident at Sri Krishna Middle School of Kumbakonam on July 16, 2004, resulted in loss of 94 children and also caused injuries to 18 children in July 2004. Thanjavur Principal district and sessions court held 10 persons including the school founder and correspondent, headmistress, cook and meal organiser guilty in the culpable homicide and 11 others were acquitted in the judgment given in 2014. Following the verdict, all the 10 convicts have appealed against the order in the HC bench. Hearing the petitions, the Division Bench suspended the sentence of the five convicts considering their age and they have served half of the five-year sentence. 

The five were directed to provide surety to the Judicial Magistrate Court at Thanjavur and appear every first day of a month before the Kumbakonam JM Court. J Shantha Lakshmi, Headmistress of the school, R Balaji, District Elementary Education Officer (DEEO), A Thandavan, Superintendent of DEEO, K Durairaj, PA to DEEO, and C Sivaprakasam Office Assistance of DEEO were the convicts who got the relief. Meanwhile, the judges have dismissed the petition filed by the school correspondent Saraswathi, wife of the school founder Pulavar R Palanisamy, as she died recently in the prison. The High Court also directed the prison authorities to submit a report about the health condition of Palanisamy as he also prayed to get suspension of sentence. The hearing of the petitions was adjourned to November 29.