Mumbai, The Bombay High Court on Monday refused pre-arrest bail to five senior executives of SBL Energy Ltd in connection with an explosion at its ammunition manufacturing unit in Nagpur district last month that killed at least 19 persons.
Justice Rajnish Vyas of the Nagpur bench held that a prima facie case was made out against the five accused and refused anticipatory bail to the company’s Managing Director, Sanjay Choudhari, CEO Alok Choudhari, Directors Alok Awadhiya and Shrawan Kumar, and Deputy Manager (Safety) Kedar Pachputre.
It, however, allowed the pleas filed by three independent directors of the company, noting that they didn’t have a role in the daily affairs.
Nineteen persons died, and 23 were injured after a blast occurred at the SBL Energy Limited factory, a mining and industrial explosives manufacturer, at Raulgaon in Katol tehsil of Nagpur district on March 1.
“In hazardous industries, persistent statutory non-compliance, even after prior notice, transforms omission into culpable conduct, attracting criminal liability beyond mere negligence,” the high court stated in an order, noting that liability is not vicarious but arises from prima facie knowledge, statutory duty, and continued omission.
The FIR alleged that the accused persons ignored directions by the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health (DISH) and the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO).
They allowed the factory to operate despite knowing that a human life could be lost due to non-compliance with the orders, it stated.
The company is a major manufacturer of industrial explosives, including materials used for mining and infrastructure projects, such as detonators and explosive cartridges.
