The High Court has dismissed a claim against the Attorney General’s decision not to direct fresh inquests into the deaths arising from the 1973 Summerland fire.
The Court confirmed its role was to review the lawfulness of the decision, not to determine whether new inquests should be held.
It found the Attorney General acted within his statutory powers, considered all relevant matters, and reached a rational decision.
Judges said there was no sufficiently fresh evidence to justify new inquests, and no error in the Attorney General’s approach to the findings of the original inquests or the Summerland Commission.
While acknowledging the tragic nature of the events and their continuing impact, the Court said its ruling rested solely on the legal merits of the case.
The Attorney General expressed his sincere sympathy to those who lost loved ones, and to survivors and families affected by the disaster.