Global InformationSrirangam marriage hall fire information
| Date | 23 January 2004[1] |
|---|---|
| Location | Srirangam, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Coordinates | 10°51′18″N 78°41′29″E / 10.85500°N 78.69139°E |
| Deaths | 64 |
| Non-fatal injuries | 33 |
The 2004 Srirangam marriage hall fire was a fire accident that happened on 23 January 2004 during a Hindu marriage function in Padmapriya Marriage Hall in Srirangam, a town in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. A day after the accident, there were 42 victims, but a total of 64 people, including the groom, were killed overall and 33 others were injured in the fire. The reason for the fire was found out to be a short circuit in the electric wire connecting a video camera, which lit up the temporary thatched roof set up in the first level of the hall.
The accident is counted as one of four major fire accidents in the state, along with the Erwadi fire incident on 6 August 2001 that killed 30 mentally challenged people, Brihadeeswarar Temple fire on 7 June 1997 in which 48 people were killed and 2004 Kumbakonam School fire that killed 94 school children. The then Chief Minister Jayalalithaa announced a cash relief of ₹50,000 to the families of the deceased from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund, ₹15,000 to people with heavy injuries and ₹6,000 to those with minor injuries.
The case was fought in the Principal District Court of Tiruchirapalli. On 14 June 2012, the judge sentenced Ramasamy (65), owner of the wedding hall, to two years rigorous imprisonment and ordered to pay a compensation of ₹50,000 each to the dependents of the victims and ₹10,000 each to those injured in the accident. Selvam, the thatch roof contractor, one of the six accused, died before the judgement. Dharmaraj, the videographer was sentenced to one year rigorous imprisonment, Sadagopan, the hall manager, to one year imprisonment and Murugesan, the electrician, to six months imprisonment. The sentence of photographer Dharmaraj was reduced to 6 months by Madras High Court on 10 June 2020 which also ordered disbursement of 40 lakh ₹ to the victims.
- ^ "Chronology of major fire accidents". Hindustan Times. New Delhi. 9 December 2011. Archived from the original on 10 June 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2013.