Court: Negligence Led to Concert Drug Fatalities

A court has found Nesco Exhibition Centre organizers prima facie responsible for negligence in the drug overdose deaths that occurred at a concert in April. Special Judge U.C. Deshmukh stated on Thursday that organizers failed to ensure no drugs or liquor were available to concertgoers. The judge remarked that this situation exemplified poor event management, potentially stemming from intentional neglect or financial gain.

Bail pleas for Nesco employees Sunny Jain and Balakrishnan Kurup were rejected. Another accused, Raunak Khandelwal, was denied relief as a victim reportedly identified him providing an ecstasy tablet. Pratik Pandey, an alleged drug supplier, also had his bail application refused, with the court noting he exploited event chaos. However, Akash Samal, responsible solely for booking artists, was granted bail.