Mumbai sessions court denies bail pleas of 11 accused in Kamala Mills fire case

The accused had filed separate pleas, contesting the charge of culpable homicide.

Additional sessions judge AL Yawalkar on Friday rejected bail applications of the 11 accused booked in connection with Kamala Mill compound fire that killed 14 people in December last year.

The fire claimed 14 lives in December last year (HT file photo)

The 11 currently in judicial custody are the owners of 1Above bar and restaurant, Kripesh Sanghvi, Jigar Sanghvi, and Abhijit Mankar; managers of 1Above, Lisbon Lopes and Kevin Bawa; owners of Mojo’s Bistro Restobar, Yug Tuli and Yug Pathak; owners of Kamala Mill compound, Ramesh Gowani and Ravi Bhandari; hookah supplier, Utkarsh Pandey; and Rajendra Patil, a fire officer who had granted a fire no-objection certificate to Mojo’s Bistro Restobar.

The accused had moved separate bail applications in the last week of January, contending that the charges under section 304 (punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the IPC is not applicable.

The fire was nothing but an act of god, they had alleged. Special public prosecutor Prakash Shetty emphasised the fire department’s report stating the probable causes of the fire.

The report suggests that the patrons of the restaurants died as they could not exit the restaurant, said Shetty. The wall against the exit way had been demolished by the corporation, but the accused had reconstructed it.

He alleged that the washroom constructed by 1Above was illegal and blocked the fire exit. The accused were aware of the irregularities, he said.

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