Stories
Malviya Nagar Hotel Fire: Owner Granted Interim Bail on Medical Grounds by Delhi HC
- •The Delhi High Court granted four weeks' interim bail to Lovkesh Bajaj, owner of the Malviya Nagar hotel where a fire killed 23 people in June.
- •Bail was granted on medical grounds after Bajaj underwent major abdominal surgery on August 31 and was discharged on September 15, with risks of complications noted.
- •The court directed Bajaj to furnish a personal bond of Rs 25,000 and a surety of the like amount, restricting him to Delhi territory.
- •Bajaj is an accused in the June 3 fire at 'Flourish Stay' B&B, which also injured 24 others; a trial court previously denied his medical bail plea.
- •Police chargesheeted Bajaj, manager Jay Mishra, and cook Keshav Negi, alleging the 26-room establishment operated in violation of B&B rules and lacked proper fire safety measures.
Key Questions Answered
The Delhi High Court granted four weeks of interim bail to Lovkesh Bajaj on medical grounds, noting that he underwent a major abdominal surgery on August 31, was recently discharged, and requires careful medical management to recuperate.
Police chargesheeted Lovkesh Bajaj and two others for operating the 26-room establishment in violation of bed-and-breakfast rules that permitted only six rooms, and for running it without a proper hotel licence after his application was rejected due to lacking a fire exit and having only a single entry and exit point.
According to police investigation, the fire allegedly started in the kitchen after the cook left an oil fryer switched on while preparing tea, with inflammable materials and the building's single entry-exit route causing the flames to spread rapidly.
