‘Isn’t a trial going on before investigating officer?’: Telangana HC questions state on zero arrests 4 months after Sigachi factory blast

The Division Bench of Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice G M Mohiuddin issued notice to Respondent no 10, the MD and CEO of Sigachi Industries Ltd, and granted two weeks to the state to file an additional affidavit containing the outcomes of the report of the expert committee.

The bench insisted that the affidavit should disclose progress in the investigation and compensation award, “with the breakup compensation to the deceased kith and kin of the deceased or the injured workman and the injured one.”

The state’s counsel maintained that Rs 21.8 crore has been paid to the victims to date.

The counsel for the state informed the court that the expert committee had filed a “bulky” report after the state filed a counter-affidavit on August 28, 2025, and the report is currently under consideration by the government.

He sought time so that the state could place the report before the bench “for effective adjudication”, saying the report is “crucial to the matter.”

Meanwhile, Vasudha Nagaraj, the petitioner’s counsel, informed the court that four months have passed, and the police have not made a single arrest despite the glaring violations listed in the Factories Department’s report.

When asked about it by the bench, the state’s counsel said that 192 witnesses have been examined, notices have been issued, and their statements have been recorded.

‘Does his sacrifice exonerate others?’

He added that the vice president, who manages the affairs of the company, also died in the accident.

“Does his sacrifice exonerate the others also in the company who are responsible? And where is the requirement that the IO (investigation officer) has to examine all the witnesses under 161 [CrPC] before carrying out an arrest of the persons against whom prima facie materials are being made out, even on either the face of the complaint or on examination of some number of witnesses. Where is the requirement for them? Is not a trial going on before the IO?” the bench observed.

The bench also sought to know if the factory premises had been seized by the investigation agencies, to which the state’s counsel replied in the affirmative.

The bench then sought to know about the compliance with the payment of Rs 1 crore compensation promised to each of the victims. The state’s counsel said that it has been “partly complied with”. He informed the bench that some of them have received Rs 50 lakh, while others have received Rs 40 lakh as compensation so far. He said the government is only a monitoring agency, and the company has to answer that.

He also added that Rs 25 lakh has been paid to the families of deceased workers, with additional payments to injured workers based on the severity of their injuries. All those who were injured have been discharged, and the company has covered the cost of their treatment. The company is also paying salaries to the injured persons, the counsel added.

The matter was listed for a hearing scheduled on November 27.