Saket Court Grants Bail to Cook in Fatal Hauz Rani B&B Fire Case
A Delhi court at Saket on Monday granted bail to 65-year-old Keshar Negi, the cook employed at the Flourish Stay bed-and-breakfast facility in Hauz Rani that was gutted in a fire last month, killing 23 people.
Additional sessions judge Samar Vishal held that Negi could not be held criminally liable merely for performing his routine duties in the kitchen. The court observed that operating kitchen appliances was an integral part of his job as a chef and did not by itself amount to culpable negligence.
Negi, a resident of Dilshad Garden in Shahdara, was arrested shortly after the June 3 blaze at the Hauz Rani establishment. The tragic incident resulted in 23 deaths, including 13 foreign nationals. A magistrate had denied Negi bail last month citing the gravity of the allegations, leading him to approach the sessions court.
Senior advocate Deepak Prakash and advocate Sriram Parakkat, appearing for Negi, argued that he was being falsely implicated despite being a salaried chef with no managerial, supervisory, or ownership role. Accepting the argument at this stage, the court noted that the prosecution presented no material to show Negi was responsible for the building's structural design, LPG pipeline, or electrical maintenance, which prima facie lay with the owner and management.
Opposing the bail plea, additional public prosecutor Arun Kumar Singh contended that Negi had previously been cautioned to exercise care and relied on a disclosure statement where Negi allegedly admitted turning on an electric oil fryer before noticing a fire nearby.
Police said an LPG hose pipe caught fire during the incident, causing a gas leak that rapidly spread the blaze. However, police maintained that the exact cause of the fire could not yet be confirmed because forensic reports remain awaited. The court noted that in the absence of the scientific report, attributing criminal liability to Negi for routine kitchen work was inappropriate.
The facility's owner, Bajaj, and Jay Mishra, in whose name the B&B licence was issued, remain in judicial custody.
