The death of 112 workers in an industrial factory fire in 2012 has prompted a Bangladesh court to order 13 people to stand trial. Out of these, two are garment factory owners. Owners of Dhaka’s Tazreen Fashions, Delwar Hossain and his wife Mahmuda Akter, have pleaded not guilty to culpable homicide charges. The accused face trial on October and up to 10 years in jail if convicted. Khandakar Abdul Mannan, the prosecutor said that the court charged the 13 including Delwar and his wife with causing death by negligence.

This is the first time ever in the country’s history that garment factory owners have been prosecuted, making this case a landmark. Bangladeshi officials were compelled by a public outcry to charge Hossain and Akter, along with 11 factory managers and security guards. This was after investigators found that the Tazreen factory had no emergency exits. The police said that the facility’s gates were also locked and workers were forced to jump from windows on upper floors as the fire spread, and many victims were women who were overcome by smoke.

Located in Ashulia district, Tazreen supplied clothes to brands such as Walmart and Enyce. Western brands have come under pressure to ensure safe conditions for Bangladesh’s four million garment workers, who generally earn less than $50 each month, since the incident. Through several alliances and agreements, many retailers have helped fund safety improvements.