Bhandup mall administrator gets relief

I n a relief for Rahul Sahasrabuddhe, National Company Law Tribunal-appointed administrator of the mall in Bhandup where a fire broke out on March 26, leaving nine Covid patients dead, the police have assured the Bombay high court that they will not arrest the administrator till the next hearing on April 8

I n a relief for Rahul Sahasrabuddhe, National Company Law Tribunal-appointed administrator of the mall in Bhandup where a fire broke out on March 26, leaving nine Covid patients dead, the police have assured the Bombay high court that they will not arrest the administrator till the next hearing on April 8.

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The administrator approached the HC after he was named in the FIR after the fire broke out. The administrator informed the court that he had been writing to the BMC and fire brigade about shop owners in the mall not abiding by safety rules but no action was taken which resulted in the fire and hence he should not be held responsible.

A division bench of justice SS Shinde and justice Manish Pitale while hearing the petition filed by Sahasrabuddhe through advocate JS Kini was informed that his client was an officer of the court and was appointed as an administrator of Dream Mall by the NCLT in August 2018. Kini submitted that Sahasrabuddhe had been submitting a monthly report to NCLT on implementation of various orders passed by the tribunal from time to time.

The bench was informed that after the fire broke out the police registered an FIR on March 26 wherein Sahasrabuddhe has also been named and as he apprehended arrest, he had approached the HC seeking interim protection from arrest and quashing of the FIR. “I am an officer of the court and cannot be expected to run from pillar to post seeking anticipatory bail, hence I have approached the court,” said Kini on behalf of Sahasrabuddhe.

Public prosecutor Aruna Pai for the police informed the court that Sahasrabuddhe was not named as an accused in the case and hence had no need to apprehend arrest. However, on instructions from DCP Dhakne, Pai assured the court that the administrator would not be arrested till April 8.

After hearing the submissions the court accepted the assurance and issued notice to the civic authorities and the fire brigade and posted hearing on April 8.