Kamala fire accused files bail plea in sessions court

Mumbai: Yug Pathak, co-owner of restro pub Mojo’s Bistro at Lower Parel’s Kamala Mills compound, on Wednesday filed a bail plea in the Sessions court. He has moved the Sessions court after the magistrate court rejected his bail application.

Pathak, the son of retired director general of police K. K. Pathak was arrested on January 6, this year had filed his first bail application before the magistrate court in Bhoiwada contending that section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of IPC is not applicable on this case and hence he should be granted bail.

Fourteen people had died in the fire on December 29, when a massive fire swept through Mojo’s Bistro and adjoining pub 1Above. Both the pub owners are blaming each other for the fire however, according to fire brigade report the fire started from Mojo’s Bistro.

Pathak’s partner in business, Yug Tuli and partners of 1Above Kripesh Sanghvi, Jigar Sanghvi and Abhijeet Mankar had also filed the bail applications in the magistrate court but the magistrate rejected bail applications of all of them last week.

All the accused in their bail applications had contended that police has wrongly applied section 304 on the case. Instead the police should have imposed 304 (A) (death due to negligence) of IPC, a bailable offence but the magistrate did not accept their contention.

Special public prosecutor Prakash Shetty has said that the bail application would be heard on February 3.