New Delhi: A Delhi court on Monday extended by two days the police custody of hotel owner Lavkesh Bajaj in connection with a fire that killed 21 people, while remanding the hotel’s cook Keshar Negi to 14 days’ judicial custody.
Judicial Magistrate Bhanu Pratap Singh allowed the plea of the Delhi Police seeking further custody of Bajaj and judicial custody of Negi.
Police said Negi, arrested on Saturday, was suspected of negligence leading to the blaze at Flourish Stays Bed and Breakfast in Malviya Nagar’s Hauz Rani area.
Seeking extended custody of Bajaj, the prosecution submitted, “The custody of the accused is required to know the whereabouts of another accused, Rupesh, who was the manager of the hotel. We need their custody to investigate the role of Rupesh in the day-to-day activities of the hotel.”
Investigators informed the court that CCTV footage and DVR systems were damaged in the fire, while the accused’s mobile phone had been seized. They also said documents related to the hotel were in the name of one Jay Mishra, who surrendered before the court.
Opposing the plea, Bajaj’s counsel Nitin Ahlawat said his client had cooperated with the investigation and that custody sought earlier to trace Mishra was no longer required.
Bajaj was earlier arrested and booked under charges including culpable homicide not amounting to murder, with officials stating that the building lacked a fire no-objection certificate.
Seeking judicial custody of Negi, police said his custody was required to identify other accused persons. Opposing this, his counsel Deepak Prakash said, “I (cook) have been cooperating with the police, while the police case against me is that I failed to turn off the LPG; but I turned it off and informed the manager about the fire. I tried to control the fire.”
He further argued, “There was no negligence on my side; it was an act of God. The blast happened in the LPG after the fire went out of control. Nobody had the intention to ignite the fire.”
The court denied bail to Negi after the prosecution said his release could affect the investigation, which was at an early stage.
Several others linked to the establishment have been detained and are being questioned as part of the probe.
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