Lawsuit filed against sky-dining restaurant owners after tourists left stranded in Kerala

A case has been filed against the operators of a sky-dining restaurant after four tourists, including two children, got stranded due to a crane malfunction in Idukki, according to police reports on Saturday. The Vellathoval police have registered a case against Sojan Joseph of Anachal, the landowner where the sky-dining restaurant was located, as well as its operator Praveen from Malayinchi, Udumbannoor.

The group was trapped for over two hours, approximately 150 feet above the ground, before fire and rescue personnel arrived, having learned about the incident through news reports on Friday afternoon. The team successfully rescued the four-person family using ropes.

According to the FIR, the restaurant was in operation without adequate regard for public safety. The case has been filed under Section 125 (endangering human lives) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 118(e) (actions that jeopardize public safety) of the Kerala Police Act.

#WATCH | Munnar, Kerala | Tourists were stranded at a private sky dining setup in Anachal, Idukki, after a technical failure of the crane today; Rescue operation is ongoing

The incident took place near Munnar, leaving both tourists and staff stranded for over 1.5 hours. Rescue efforts… pic.twitter.com/Pciz0CoLxB

— ANI (@ANI) November 28, 2025

In the aftermath of the incident, a stop memo has been issued to the restaurant for operating without a license from the civic body, as per officials from the district administration.

The Idukki district collector has also requested a report from the village officer concerning the restaurant and its operations, officials stated.

A staff member at the sky-dining restaurant informed TV channels that there was no panic, as they had been trained to manage such situations. She mentioned that the family was from Kozhikode.