Following the expiration of their CBI remand period, a special court in Bhubaneswar transferred the three accused railway officials in the Balasore train catastrophe to judicial prison.

The Railways have suspended Senior Section Engineer (Signal) Arun Kumar Mahanta, Section Engineer Mohammed Amir Khan, and Technician Pappu Kumar. On Friday after their remand time ended, they were brought before the CBI Special Court.

The CBI detained the suspects on July 7.

On July 7, the special court gave the CBI, which is conducting the investigation, a five-day detention warrant for the accused. On July 11, the court granted the investigating agency’s request to prolong the detention for an additional four days.

The next hearing is scheduled for July 27.

The IPC Sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 201 (destruction of evidence), as well as Section 153 of the Railways Act, have been utilised to charge the three defendants.

The disaster occurred because of “lapses” in the signalling circuit change, according to the inquiry report of the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS), South Eastern Circle, even though the CBI has not yet turned in its report on the case.

At least 293 people were killed and nearly 1,200 were hurt when the Coromandel Express collided with the Yeshwantpur-Howrah Express and part of its derailed coaches on June 2 at Bahanaga Bazar station in Balasore district.