- By Aashish Vashistha
- Tue, 09 May 2023 01:29 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
THE KERALA High Court on Tuesday called the houseboat accident in Kerala's Malappuram district which claimed 22 lives 'shocking' and 'haunting' and said that it will not allow the tragedy to be forgotten. The High Court also directed the Registry to file a suo moto writ petition in the case in the public interest. The High Court also rapped the state government for not taking action against the officers responsible for the boat accident.
The Kerala High Court further directed the Malappuram District Collector to file a report on the incident by May 12. A houseboat capsized at an estuary near Thoovaltheeram beach in Tanur, Malappuram, around 7.30 pm on Sunday. At least 22 people were killed in the accident while several others suffered injuries.
The court also framed murder charges against the boat owner under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). It further noted that the accident happened due to 'the deadly cocktail of callousness, greed and official apathy' and said it was initiating the petition on its own to ensure that such incidents will not happen in future.
A bench of Justices Devan Ramachandran and Shoba Annamma Eapen noted that such boating tragedies were happening in the state with 'frightening regularity' since 1924, when Kerala lost one of its greatest poets, Mahakavi Kumaranasan, when a boat from Kollam to Kottayam sank at Palana.
The district officials said that 15 people who lost their lives in the accident were minors in the age group of eight months to 17 years and as many as 37 people were on board the capsized boat, as reported by PTI.
Earlier, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan condoled the loss of lives in the boat capsize incident and announced Rs 10 lakh compensation to the kin of victims. He also visited the Taluk Hospital on Monday where the survivors of the incident were admitted and undergoing treatment.