Can’t be asked to compensate Kurla fire victims’ kin, Mumbai civic body tells Bombay high court

Responding to the petition, the BMC said the cause of the fire was a gas leak, and there was no direct nexus between the incident and the civic body. Therefore, it is not liable to pay compensation.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Tuesday told the Bombay high court (HC) that it cannot be held accountable for compensating families of seven students who had died in the Hotel City Kinara fire in Kurla, in October 2015.

In October 2015, eight people – seven students from Don Bosco Institute of Technology, Kurla, and an engineer – were charred to death when they got trapped in fire at Hotel City Kinara. (HT image)

The BMC was responding to a petition filed by family members of the victims. Its counsel, senior advocate Anil Sakhare, told the bench of justices Akil Kureshi and SJ Kathawalla that the claim of compensation, if any, should be directed at the hotel owner and its manager.

However, the bench said, “Fire cannot be so devastating, unless and until somebody is negligent in his duties.”

Responding to the petition, the BMC said the cause of the fire was a gas leak, and there was no direct nexus between the incident and the civic body. Therefore, it is not liable to pay compensation.

In October 2015, eight people – seven students from Don Bosco Institute of Technology, Kurla, and an engineer – were charred to death when they got trapped in fire at Hotel City Kinara. The students’ parents approached the HC seeking compensation and a high-level inquiry into the incident.

The BMC said after the incident, they found two of their officials guilty of dereliction of duties and inflicted penalties on them.

The bench further said in view of the loss of lives, it would examine if compensation can be paid to the petitioners and if the liability can be fastened on the BMC on account of any default in discharge of its duties that may have resulted in the fire.