C. SANTHOSH KUMAR Vs. STATE OF KERALA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The captioned writ petitions have been filed on being aggrieved by the rejection of the applications submitted by the petitioners for permission to conduct public fireworks display in connection with the festival at Sree Marattil Kottaram Bhagavathy Temple. To be precise, the first petitioner in the former writ petition representing Vadakke Cheruvaram of the temple filed Ext.P6 application and the second petitioner representing the Thekke Cheruvaram submitted Ext.P7 application, seeking such permission. Both the applications were rejected by the District Collector under Exts.P9 and P10 respectively. It is in the said circumstances that the petitioners filed the captioned writ petitions.

(2.) When this matter came up for consideration on 03.03.2020, this Court passed a detailed interim order upon seeing that the only objection in the matter of grant of license for fireworks display was the non-availability of space to satisfy the distance rule provided as condition No.6 in LE-6 license. The petitioners questioned the said finding raising various contentions, referred to specifically in the said interim order. Taking note of the rival contentions, the District Collector was directed to cause re-measurement of the site in question through officers deputed by the Police Inspector General, Commissioner of Kochi City as also the Regional Fire Officer of the Fire Safety Department and to file a report. Such a report has been placed on record. We perused the same.

(3.) Heard Sri.K.Ramakumar, the learned senior counsel appearing for the petitioners in the former writ petition, Sri.N.N.Sugunapalan, the learned senior counsel appearing for the petitioners in the latter writ petition and the learned Government Pleader.