The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Monday directed the State government to file a detailed report on the total number of accidents that occurred at fireworks units in Virudhunagar district in the last two years and the safety measures to prevent such accidents.A Division Bench of Justices N. Sathish Kumar and M. Jothiraman sought the report with regard to the fireworks accidents at factories in the district and whether they had licence issued by the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation and the District Revenue Officer, how many cases were registered and the status of the cases.The court sought to know from the District Collector the details with regard to the online portal with the list of total number of fireworks factories operating in the district to ascertain whether they were operating legally and to come up with innovative safety measures to prevent accidents. The court also sought to know the details with regard to insurance coverage and compensation.The court was hearing a batch of cases pertaining to the fireworks accidents in Virudhunagar district, including a public interest litigation petition that sought a direction to the State to set up Tamil Nadu Fireworks Corporation in order to oversee and regulate the fireworks industry.The petition had sought a direction to the authorities concerned to implement a comprehensive policy to prevent recurring fire accidents and illegal production of fireworks.Following an explosion at a fireworks unit in Virudhunagar on April 19 that had left at least 25 people killed and many others injured, the court had directed the government to file a comprehensive counter-affidavit and make suggestions to prevent such accidents. The court posted the matter for hearing to June 29. Published - June 08, 2026 08:43 pm IST