The owner, correspondent and headmistress of the Sri Krishna Aided Private School, Saraswathi Nursery and Primary School and the Sri Krishna Girls High School at Kumbakonam in Thanjavur were sentenced to rigorous imprisonment ranging from life-term to five years in the July 16, 2004 fire accident case which claimed the lives of 94 school children.

Mohammed Ali, the District and Sessions Judge, Thanjavur, sentenced  to ten years rigorous imprisonment Pulavar Palanisamy, owner of the school, Saraswathy, his wife and school correspondent, Santhanalakshmi, the school headmistress,  chartered engineer Jayachandran, elementary education officer Balaji, assistant elementary education officer Sivaprakasam and PA to elementary education officer Thandavan.They were also asked to pay a fine of Rs 47 lakh.

Noon meal organiser Vijayalakshmi and cook Vasanthi were sentenced to five years rigorous imprisonment and were imposed a fine of Rs 25 lakh. The Court, however, acquitted 11 other people in the case.

On July 16, 2004, a major fire broke out in the thatched hut on the first floor of the Sri Krishna Aided Private School,   where noon meal was being cooked. The fire claimed lives of 94 tiny tots, all aged between five and nine. It took more than a decade for the Court to deliver the judgment. Though, there were a total of 21 accused in the case, the Court acquitted 11 persons which inclused some Government officials. Prabhakaran, the school headmaster, turned  approver. The chargesheet ran up to 5,000 pages.

“We waited for more than ten years for this judgment. But the wait turned out to be a major disappointment as the quantum of punishment was small and many people who were responsible for the accident were acquitted by the Court”, said Mala, mother of Sushmitha, the six-year-old girl who was one of the victims. Most of the parents who were present in the Court wanted the Government to go for appeal against the acquittal as well as the “too small” sentences.