Patna High Court on Monday directed the state government to submit the report of a high-powered panel that probed the boat tragedy in Sabbalpur during Makar Sankranti in which 24 people died.

The court ordered the government to submit the report within a week, as against two weeks time sought by the government counsel. The court asked the state government for details of action taken by it (government) with regard to the accident and file it in supplementary affidavit form at the next hearing.

A division bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice Anil Kumar Upadhyay passed the order on two separate PILs by Patna High Court advocate Mani Bhushan Pratap Sengar and social activist and environmentalist Vikash Chandra, also known as Guddu Baba.

The petitioners had sought a probe into the tragedy by an independent agency and prosecution of those responsible. Questions were also raised over the state's authority to arrange festivals on such a large scale without appropriate security measures.

In its earlier hearing on August 11, the court had asked the state government to submit the report.

On Monday, the court was irked at the government failing to submit the report. The government counsel tried to assuage the bench saying necessary action was taken to prevent recurrence, but the bench only said: 'Place it on record.'