The trial in the southeastern city of Adiyaman involves 11 defendants accused of "conscious negligence" during the construction of the Isias Hotel.
Five of the defendants, including the hotel's owner, have been arrested and face charges that could lead to over 20 years in jail each.
The hotel collapse resulted in the tragic deaths of 24 children from Northern Cyprus, who were in Turkey to attend a students' volleyball tournament, along with a group of parents and chaperones.
Turkish prosecutors now argue that the catastrophe could have been prevented if proper safety standards were followed.
In total, the building collapse claimed the lives of 72 people, with 39 from Northern Cyprus, making it the most significant tragedy in the history of the separatist statelet, recognized for self-rule only by Ankara.
The indictment reveals that the building was illegally converted into a hotel in 2001 and had an additional floor erected illegally beyond the nine permitted by the original plan.
Among the plaintiffs is Northern Cyprus Prime Minister Unal Ustel. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan emerged unscathed politically from the disaster, winning re-election months after the earthquake.
Erdogan attributed the high death toll to corrupt property developers who bribed local inspectors, enabling the use of cheap building materials and the unauthorized construction of additional floors.
Approximately 200 people were arrested by Turkish police immediately after the first 7.8-magnitude quake struck.
Critics of Erdogan argue that many of Turkey's major construction and real estate companies have developed close ties with the ruling AKP party during his 21-year rule.
