Kamala Mills fire: Mumbai court order on Mojo’s Bistro co-owner’s bail petition today

Tuli’s lawyer Shyam Diwani said the fire department’s report, which states that the blaze began at Mojo’s Bistro, was “manipulated and amusing”

The sessions court reserved its order on the anticipatory bail plea filed by one of the directors of Mojo’s Bistro, Yug Tuli in connection with the Kamala Mills fire incident, in which 14 people were killed and 55 injured. The court order is expected today.

The prosecution said the witnesses, who were diners at Mojo’s Bistro, said the fire originated at the restaurant. (HT File)

The prosecution objected to Tuli’s plea, which was filed on Monday. They asked the court to reject the petition, saying they needed to interrogate him.

The prosecution said the witnesses, who were diners at Mojo’s Bistro, said the fire originated at the restaurant. They said that according to the police, various videos, which could be considered key evidence, corroborate the statements of these witnesses. The prosecution said investigations revealed that hookahs used at Mojo’s Bistro were responsible for the blaze.

Advocate Prakash Shetty, who appointed as special public prosecutor, said the fire originated owing to the exhaust fan and flammable articles at Mojo’s Bistro. “The fire later spread owing to the cotton curtains, wooden bamboo sticks and tarpaulin. The fire then moved to 1Above and gutted both restaurants,” Shetty said.

The prosecution said the restaurant did not have permission for smoking zone, but still continued to serve hookah.

Countering the prosecution’s case, Tuli’s lawyer Shyam Diwani said the fact that none of the diners at Mojo’s Bistro were killed or hurt indicates that the fire did not originate there. “Our safety measures were in place. No one was hurt as we managed to get our staff to help them,” Diwani said.

Diwani said the fire department’s report, which states that the blaze began at Mojo’s Bistro, was “manipulated and amusing”. He alleged the report was based only on unverified social media posts.