No bail for 11 accused in Kamala Mills fire case

A sessions court on Friday rejected the bail applications of eleven accused in the Kamala Mills fire tragedy case.

On December 29, 2017, a massive fire swept through two roof-top pubs - Mojo's Bistro and 1Above - in Kamala Mills compound in central Mumbai, killing 14 people.

Sessions judge A L Yawalkar today rejected the bail pleas of Kevin Baba and Lisbon Lopes, both employed with 1Above; Kamala Mills Compound owner Ramesh Govani; Ravi Bhandari, director of Kamala mill limited; Utkarsh Pandey, the owner of hookah supply firm Nirvana; Yug Pathak and Yug Tulli, owners of Mojos Bistro; Jigar Sanghvi, Kripesh Sanghvi and Abhijit Mankar, owners of 1Above; and fire brigade officer Rajendra Patil.

Police have registered a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder under section 304 II of the IPC against the accused.

According to a report by the Mumbai municipal commissioner, flying embers from hookah, served illegally at Mojo's Bistro, started the fire, and illegal alterations at both the pubs aggravated the tragedy.

Defence lawyers had argued, while seeking bail, that section 304 II was applied wrongly in the case, and, at the most, the less serious charge of death due to negligence could have been pressed.

A major part of the investigation was over, hence the accused should be set free on bail, the lawyers argued.

Special prosecutor Prakash Shetty had argued that the accused had the knowledge of potential fire hazard at the two pubs, but did not take any precautionary steps.