Malviya Nagar hotel fire: Delhi court grants bail to cook Kesar Negi

A Delhi court on Monday granted bail to Kesar Negi, the cook who was arrested by Delhi Police more than a month ago in the Malviya Nagar hotel fire case.

Additional sessions judge Samar Vishal of the Saket Courts passed the order.

Earlier, judicial magistrate Bhanu Pratap Singh had denied bail to Negi on June 8 prompting him to move the sessions court.

A total of 22 people, including 13 foreigners, were killed in Malviya Nagar’s Hauz Rani area in a fire incident at Flourish Stays B&B on June 3. Besides hotel owner Lovkesh Bajaj, cook Negi was arrested over allegations of negligence.

However, Negi in his plea alleged that he was being made a scapegoat for systemic safety failures and statutory violations of the proprietors of the property. The plea stated he was a salaried chef at the hotel with no control over its fire-safety infrastructure.

Negi’s plea also revealed that the fire had occurred because of a short circuit in the wiring, leading to melting of the pipes. He told the Court that like any other man of prudence, he had turned off the electricity switches after realising that the fire was caused by an electrical fault.

Negi, who hails from Uttarakhand, argued that he is an aged and infirm senior citizen who satisfies the triple test for grant of bail.

The plea was filed through advocates Deepak Prakash, Sriram Parakkat, Divyangna Malik, Priyamvada Singh Solanki and Harshit Sharma.