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Saket Court on Monday granted bail to Kesar Negi, a cook arrested in connection with the Malviya Nagar hotel fire tragedy that claimed the lives of 22 people, including 13 foreign nationals, on June 3.
Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Samar Vishal granted bail to Negi on furnishing a bail bond of Rs 50,000 and a surety of the same amount. He had been in custody since June 6. "Without expressing any opinion on the merits of the case, I am of the considered opinion that the prosecution has not been able to demonstrate any compelling necessity for the continued custodial detention of the applicant. The interests of justice can be adequately safeguarded by imposing appropriate conditions while enlarging him on bail," said ASJ Vishal. Negi's earlier bail application was rejected by the Judicial Magistrate on June 8. Appearing for Negi, advocates Deepak Prakash and Priyamvada Singh Solanki argued that he is a senior citizen and is old and infirm. The applicant also challenged the prosecution's version regarding the cause of the fire. The arrest memo attributed the rapid spread of the fire to the melting of rubber LPG pipes, while the defence argued that the cause of the melting had not been explained. According to Negi, the fire was caused by an electrical short circuit, which subsequently melted the LPG pipes. He further claimed that after noticing the fire, he immediately switched off the electricity supply and informed the manager, Rupesh Kumar. Opposing the bail plea, the prosecution relied on Rupesh Kumar's statement, alleging that Negi had switched on the electric oil fryer and other kitchen appliances before the incident and that the fire was noticed near the fryer. However, the court noted that the Investigating Officer's reply stated that the exact origin, cause and manner of the spread of the fire were yet to be conclusively determined through scientific examination by competent expert agencies. The court also noted that the Forensic Science Laboratory report was still awaited. Negi was arrested by Delhi Police during the investigation. Police have also arrested hotel owner Lovkesh Bajaj and manager Jay Mishra. All the accused are currently in judicial custody following police interrogation. (ANI)
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