Sitting amid the blackened remains of his home, 32-year-old Nikesh Gawali carefully broke open a half-melted plastic box with a screwdriver. His hands shook slightly, not out of fear, but out of hope. “I’m trying to find my daughter Aarti’s gold earrings,” he said quietly, still focused on the box. “She’s just five. I got them made recently after months of labour work.” The plastic box, warped and blackened by heat, was one of the few things left from his two-room house on the outskirts of Dhamangaon village . All around him lay ash, broken tin sheets and charred wooden beams. The walls had cracked under the heat and the front room’s tin roof had caved in completely. What remained was a blackened debris all around - almost nothing to suggest a home once stood there. Nikesh earns his living as an agricultural labourer, like many in the village. Work is uncertain and depends on the season. Those earrings weren’t just jewellery - they were a small dream, a reward for his hard work,...
The Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court has questioned why the inquiry into the deadly blast at SBL Energy Limited in Katol is not being conducted by technical experts, despite the serious nature of the incident.
A division bench of Justice Anil Kilor and Justice Raj Wakode raised concerns while hearing a Public Interest Litigation filed by Jammu Anand. The petition pointed out that around 25 workers lost their lives in the explosion at the factory located in Mauja Yenvihira, Katol tehsil.
The petitioner, through Advocate Arvind Waghmare, argued that instead of initiating an expert inquiry under Section 9(a) of the Explosives Act, 1884, a general inquiry was ordered by the District Collector under a different provision. It was submitted that such serious incidents require investigation by the Chief Controller of Explosives and other subject-matter experts, which has not been done so far.
The Court also noted that the Central Government has not yet clarified its position. Appearing for the State, Advocate Kalyani Marpakwar, and for the Centre, Advocate Saurabh Chaudhary, sought time to respond.
Taking serious note, the High Court directed both the Central and State Governments to file affidavits explaining their stand by June 10. The next hearing is scheduled on June 19. The PIL also alleges failure in safety compliance, including absence of a mandatory safety officer and lack of periodic audits at the factory.
The Court warned that it does not want “another explosion” and said strict orders will follow if a proper expert inquiry is not ensured. It also questioned how the company’s licence was renewed despite multiple pending violations.
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