Five let-off in 1998 Thane hotel fire that killed 10 people

Sixteen years after a devastating fire in a hotel here killed 10 people, a local court today acquitted five persons charged in the case for lack of sufficient evidence.
Those let-off included Devendra Khurshiram Wadhwa, owner of the hotel, Lake View, and two Thane Municipal Corporation officials. Two other accused died during the pendency of the case.
Delivering the verdict, First Class Judicial Magistrate U B More said the prosecution has failed to prove the charges, including culpable homicide, brought against the accused. The Judge noted there was no sufficient evidence that the tragedy occurred due to negligence on part of the accused.

Besides Wadhwa (61), those acquitted by the court are Ramkrishna Vithobha Patil (51) and Ramkrishna Shankar Lanjekar (46) - civic officials - and Dungarsi Harkha Gala and Jayantilal Ranalal Thakkar, both kerosene suppliers.
Two other accused - Babulal Sharma, who was managing the restaurant, and Sunil Jeevankumar Shreshtha, a cook, died during pendency of the trial.
The seven accused were charged under IPC Sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt), 304-A (causing death by negligence) and 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety), among others.

The tragedy took place on the night of October 4, 1998, when a hotel cook was pumping air into a stove, which exploded and caused a massive fire that engulfed the entire eatery. Ten customers present in the hotel were killed.

The prosecution told the court that the restaurant was running in a compact place and there was no proper exit route for visitors in case of any emergency.
The hotel owner did not maintain proper safety measures. Also, after the fire, both the owner and cook did not even alert the customers and simply fled from the spot, the prosecution said.

The Judge, in the order, said the prosecution could not prove if the restaurant had committed any illegality in terms of its operation. Also, it failed to examine two persons who were eyewitnesses to the incident.