LI Network
Published on: February 4, 2024 at 11:35 IST
The Supreme Court has dismissed an FIR against a Belgian citizen, Peter Van Geit, in connection with the deaths of 13 trekkers during a forest fire near the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border in 2018.
Van Geit had organized the ill-fated trekking expedition through his website, resulting in him being accused under IPC Sections 304 A (Death by negligence) and 338 (Grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others).
Initially appealing to the Madras High Court, Van Geit faced criticism for the expedition deviating from the permitted path, leading to the tragic incident. The High Court insisted that the petitioner must establish innocence during trial and declined to quash the FIR.
Disagreeing with this stance, a Supreme Court division bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and Augustine George Masih contended that the trekking deaths were an act of nature, absolving Van Geit of negligence.
The Court highlighted the lack of criminal intent on his part, as neither he nor the organizers were aware of the forest fire.
Quoting the State of Haryana v. Bhajan Lal case, the Court quashed proceedings against Van Geit, ruling that the deaths occurred accidentally and not due to negligence or criminal intent on his part.
Case Details: Peter Van Geit v. State of Tamil Nadu
