In some respite for the administrator of Dreams Mall at suburban Bhandup, the Bombay High Court on Tuesday asked the Mumbai Police not to take any coercive action against him, in connection to the massive fire that broke out in the hospital situated inside the mall.
Notably, 11 patients died in the fire that broke out on March 25. The following day, the city police had filed an FIR in the case.
Subsequently, the city police issued notice to one Rahul Sahasrabuddhe, who has been appointed as an administrator by the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) to oversee the mall's functioning. This was done after the HDIL group lost a suit before the NCLT.
Sunrise Hospital started to operate from the mall in October 2020 and was one of the dedicated Covid hospitals in the city.
According to Sahasrabuddhe, the city police have claimed to have received complaints against him accusing him of being negligent to ensure fire safety norms are complied in the building.
The administrator in fact claimed to have written several letters urging the city police and the BMC to initiate appropriate action against the serious lapses on part of the hospital as it didn't conform with the fire safety norms.
On Tuesday when the bench of Justices Sambhaji Shinde and Manish Pitale heard Sahasrabuddhe's plea, prosecutor Aruna Kamath-Pai told the bench that the city police won't take any action against him till the next date of hearing.
Taking the statement on record the judges adjourned the matter for further hearing till April 8
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