New Delhi: Delhi High Court Monday granted four weeks’ interim bail to the owner of a Malviya Nagar hotel where a fire claimed 23 lives in June.Justice Sachin Datta granted the relief to Lovkesh Bajaj on medical grounds, noting that he underwent a major abdominal surgery on Aug 31 and was discharged from the hospital only on Sept 15.“From the aforesaid (medical) report, it is also evident that there is a risk of complications, warranting careful medical management,” the court noted.It added that “having regard to the nature of the surgery undergone by the applicant and the short period that has elapsed since his discharge from the hospital, without expressing any opinion on the merits of the present case, the court is of the view that the applicant deserves to be released on interim bail on medical grounds, for a limited period, to enable him to recuperate and recover adequately.”HC directed Bajaj to furnish a personal bond of Rs 25,000 and a surety of the like amount and remain within the territory of Delhi.Presently in judicial custody, Bajaj has been named as an accused in the fire incident at the five-storey ‘Flourish Stay’ B&B in Hauz Rani on June 3, in which 23 people died, and 24 others were injured.On Sept 3, a trial court rejected his plea seeking interim bail of four weeks on medical grounds, saying he was already receiving adequate specialised medical treatment in custody and that the medical exigency cited by the accused had already been addressed through surgery at RML Hospital.According to the investigation, Bajaj had applied for a hotel licence, but it was rejected as the property had only one entry and exit point and lacked a fire exit.
