The Telangana High Court on Thursday (November 27, 2025) directed Deputy Superintendent of Police Patancher Prabhakar, the investigating officer in the Sigachi blast case, to appear before it on December 9 with all relevant documents related to the case.
SPOTLIGHT | Sigachi Industries Explosion: Deafening blast, lingering silence
A bench of Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice GM Mohiuddin, hearing a PIL on the Sigachi factory explosion that killed 46 people, expressed concern over the delay in the investigation to fix responsibility for the explosion inside the factory. The bench wanted the IO to provide all the documents related to the case, including the first information report, case diary and investigation progress report.
The bench noted that it had been nearly five months since the blast claimed 46 lives and injured 28 persons, but the investigation could not be completed. He sought to know from Additional Solicitor General T. Rajinikanth Reddy why there was no progress in the investigation of the case. The court asked him why the government did not set up a special investigation team to conclude the case. The CJ said that “this is not a case of murder or rape, rather it is a more serious case and the investigation could have been concluded by now” if the SIT was formed.
Counsel Vasudha Nagaraj, appearing for petitioner K. Babu Rao, informed the bench that eight persons were missing (probably killed in the blast) while 46 people lost their lives in the blast. Investigators did not focus on the missing persons angle. The advocate argued that the families of the victims who lost their lives have not received the total compensation of one billion rupees each promised by the state government.
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Advocate Vasudha Nagaraj said the report of the expert committee set up by the government to investigate the blast had pointed out many wrongdoings on the part of the factory management. The AAG informed the bench that the IO has heard 231 witnesses and recorded their statements while the government is taking all steps to ensure that total compensation is paid to the families. The bench was watching whether the questioning of more than 200 witnesses was not enough to determine who was responsible for the tragedy. Asked whether the investigation was proceeding in the right direction, the court said the case required a judicial inquiry.
Published – 28 Nov 2025 03:41 IST
