New Delhi [India], June 8 : A Delhi court (Saket court complex) on Monday rejected the bail plea of one of the accused, Keshav Negi, the cook of the Malviya Nagar hotel Flourish Stay, where a fire broke out and killed at least 22 people.
Negi was arrested by the Delhi Police on Sunday and was produced before the Saket Court on Monday.
Judge Bhanu Pratap Singh sent Negi to 14 days of judicial custody, as sought by the Delhi Police.
Negi was brought before the Malviya Nagar court (Saket court complex) along with the key accused and owner of the hotel, Lavkesh Bajaj. Bajaj had been in police custody for the last four days and was produced before the court after the expiry of his remand.
Bajaj has been sent to two days of further police custody, after his four-day remand ended today.
Another accused in the Malviya Nagar fire case, Jay Mishra, stated to be the accountant of Flourish Stay, surrendered before a Delhi court on Monday. The police sought time to interrogate Mishra, which was granted by the court.
Mishra had allegedly been absconding since June 3, the day of the incident that claimed at least 22 lives. He was seen entering the court premises along with his lawyer to surrender before the authorities.
So far, three persons have been named as accused in the case, including hotel owner Lavkesh Bajaj, cook Keshav Negi and accountant Jay Mishra.
During the hearing, Advocate Deepak Prakash, appearing for Negi, opposed the police's request and argued that his client was being wrongly blamed for the tragedy.
Prakash described the incident as one that had "shaken the conscience of the nation" but maintained that Negi had acted responsibly when the fire broke out.
According to the defence, Negi was preparing tea in the kitchen when, within "two to three minutes", a blast occurred. The counsel submitted that Negi and another person immediately attempted to control the fire using a fire extinguisher.
Referring to the prosecution's allegation that Negi negligently failed to turn off the LPG supply, Prakash argued that his client had immediately informed the hotel manager after noticing the situation.
"I called the manager immediately. I was completely blackened and fell outside. That's how I survived," the counsel submitted on instructions from his client.
The defence further contended that Negi's duties as a paid chef were limited to informing the management about safety concerns and operational issues. Prakash told the court that Negi had repeatedly requested the hotel management to shift the kitchen from the basement to an upper floor.
"My duty as a paid chef was only to inform," the counsel submitted, adding that a bail application had already been filed on behalf of his client.
Questioning the investigation, Prakash argued that the police should carefully ascertain the actual facts. "Police must be careful and go into the actual facts instead of going here and there," he submitted.
The defence also stressed that Negi, aged 57, was an experienced cook who knew how to handle kitchen operations and LPG systems. Prakash argued that there was no material to show any gross negligence on his client's part.
"What is the gross negligence from my side?" the counsel asked while disputing the allegations levelled against Negi.
The defence further submitted that Negi could potentially be a key witness in the case rather than being treated as the principal offender, given his repeated complaints regarding the location of the kitchen and the safety concerns associated with it.
Earlier on Saturday, the police had informed the court that the investigation revealed that the fire was caused by the cook's negligence. Authorities have also detained several other individuals in connection with the incident.
During the investigation, police allegedly found multiple safety violations and serious deficiencies in the building's fire safety infrastructure.
Previously, the Saket court had remanded Negi to two days of police custody after his arrest.
While seeking custodial remand, the Delhi Police submitted that Negi's custody was necessary for a thorough investigation. The police also informed the court that the fire had broken out due to the leakage of cooking gas.
Meanwhile, after 21 reported deaths in the Malviya Nagar bed-and-breakfast fire tragedy, another foreign national succumbed to injuries during treatment on Sunday, taking the death toll to 22.
The development follows the deadly June 3 fire at the Flourish Stay hotel, which claimed 22 lives and left several others injured.