Malviya Nagar Hotel Fire Case: Delhi Court Extends Judicial Custody Of Three Accused
The Saket Court extended the judicial custody of the three accused by 14 days while the investigation into the hotel fire that claimed 22 lives continued
Saket Court granted bail to cook Kesar Negi in the Malviya Nagar hotel fire case that claimed 22 lives, observing that the prosecution failed to justify his continued custodial detention
A Saket Court on Monday extended the judicial custody of Lovkesh Bajaj, Keshav Negi, and Jay Mishra, the three accused in the Malviya Nagar hotel fire tragedy that claimed 22 lives earlier this year.
Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) Bhanu Pratap Singh extended the judicial custody of all three accused by 14 days after the Delhi Police submitted that the investigation was still underway and their continued judicial custody was necessary.
During the hearing, counsel appearing for hotel owner Lovkesh Bajaj moved an application seeking court attestation to obtain financial documents, including GST and Income Tax records. The application has been listed for hearing on Tuesday.
The prosecution informed the court that the investigation into the incident remains in progress and sought an extension of judicial custody for all the accused.
The case relates to the devastating fire that broke out at Flourish Stay Hotel in Malviya Nagar on June 3, resulting in the deaths of 22 people, including several foreign nationals. Most of the victims were attendants and relatives of patients undergoing treatment at a nearby hospital. Hotel owner Lovkesh Bajaj, cook Keshav Negi, and accountant Jay Mishra have been named as accused in the case.
Earlier, on June 8, the court had rejected the bail application of Keshav Negi, who was arrested by the Delhi Police on June 7. Jay Mishra surrendered before the court on June 8, after allegedly remaining absconding since the day of the incident.
The investigation into the circumstances leading to the fatal blaze is continuing.
Notably, on June 4, the Court had remanded Bajaj to four days of police custody in connection with the devastating fire at a guest house in South Delhi's Malviya Nagar.
Mishra, alleged to be the accountant of Flourish Stay hotel, had surrendered before the court after reportedly remaining absconding since June 3, the day of the fire. He is among three persons named as accused in the case, alongside Bajaj and hotel cook Keshav Negi. The fire broke out at Flourish Stay in Delhi’s Malviya Nagar area, resulting in one of the city's deadliest hotel disasters in recent years. The death toll rose to 22 after a foreign national undergoing treatment succumbed to injuries on Sunday. According to the medical update, nine victims remain admitted at Max Hospital, Saket. Of these, one patient is in the Intensive Care Unit, while the remaining are under observation in the wards. Hospital authorities stated that all admitted patients are clinically stable and showing satisfactory recovery.
An FIR had been registered under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including Sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 326(g) (mischief by fire), 324(5) (wrongful damage to property), 125(a) and 125(b) (negligent acts endangering life and causing grievous hurt), and Section 287 relating to negligent conduct with respect to fire. According to officials, at least 58 people were rescued from the building and shifted to nearby hospitals. Twenty-one victims were declared dead. Several of those killed or injured were foreign nationals, including citizens from African countries and Turkmenistan, who were reportedly staying at the hotel while attending to relatives undergoing medical treatment in Delhi.
Preliminary findings have revealed serious violations at the establishment. Authorities informed that the building had approval for only six rooms but was allegedly operating more than 20 rooms. The hotel was also functioning without a fire No Objection Certificate (NOC) and reportedly had only a single entry and exit point, raising concerns over safety compliance and emergency evacuation measures.
Bench: Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) Bhanu Pratap Singh