Malviya Nagar hotel fire: Delhi HC grants interim bail to property owner on medical grounds
New Delhi, Sep 21 (PTI) The Delhi High Court on Monday granted four weeks’ interim bail to the owner of a Malviya Nagar hotel where a fire claimed 23 lives in June.
Justice Sachin Datta granted the relief to Lovkesh Bajaj on medical grounds, noting that he underwent a major abdominal surgery on August 31 and was discharged from the hospital only on September 15.
“From the aforesaid (medical) report, it is also evident that there is a risk of complications, warranting careful medical management,” the court said in its order.
It added that “having regard to the nature of the surgery undergone by the applicant and the short period that has elapsed since his discharge from the hospital, without expressing any opinion on the merits of the present case, the court is of the view that the applicant deserves to be released on interim bail on medical grounds, for a limited period, to enable him to recuperate and recover adequately.”
The court directed Bajaj to furnish a personal bond of Rs 25,000 and a surety of the like amount and remain within the territory of Delhi.
Presently in judicial custody, Bajaj has been named as an accused in the fire incident at the five-storey 'Flourish Stay’ B&B in Hauz Rani on June 3, in which 23 people were killed, while 24 others suffered grievous injuries.
On September 3, a trial court rejected his plea seeking interim bail of four weeks on medical grounds, saying he was already receiving adequate specialised medical treatment in custody and that the medical exigency cited by the accused had already been addressed through surgery at the RML Hospital.
In his bail plea in the trial court, Bajaj had cited serious abdominal complications, saying doctors advised surgical intervention. The trial court noted that he was first taken to the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital and subsequently referred to the RML Hospital.
Delhi Police has chargesheeted Bajaj, manager-cum-accountant Jay Mishra and cook Keshav Negi in the case, alleging that the 26-room establishment was operating in violation of bed-and-breakfast rules that permitted only six rooms.
According to the investigation, Bajaj had applied for a hotel licence, but it was rejected as the property had only one entry and exit point and lacked a fire exit.
Police have alleged that instead of reapplying, he operated the establishment under the B&B framework.
The fire allegedly started in the kitchen after Negi left an oil fryer switched on while preparing tea.
The flames spread rapidly through the building, with inflammable material and the single entry-exit route aggravating the situation, police said.
