The Bombay High Court on Monday gave an inquiry panel five months to submit its first report on its investigation into the fire at the city’s Kamala Mills compound last year, PTI reported.
The Maharashtra government told the court that it had appointed retired High Court Chief Justice AV Sawant the chairperson of the three-member panel. Architect Vasant Thakur and former Chief Secretary K Nalinakshan are the other two members.
Former Mumbai police commissioner Julio Ribeiro had filed a plea before the court, seeking a judicial inquiry into the fire. In a hearing on March 1, the state government had proposed names for the panel, including several retired judges, two architects and two retired urban development secretaries.
The panel has to submit its first report by August 31. The court will hear the case next on September 17.
The bench said the panel should not only find out the reason for the fire, but also suggest steps to prevent such incidents in the future. The panel will inquire whether owners of the restaurants or the compound, or any government authorities had violated any norms.
The court asked the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation to provide the panel an office, staff and other infrastructure. The chairperson will be paid remuneration on par with a sitting chief justice of a high court, the bench said.
On December 28, 2017, the fire started at Mojo’s Bistro restaurant and spread to the adjacent 1Above, where 14 people died of suffocation. The police have arrested 14 people so far. They have also filed a 2,706-page chargesheet against 12 accused, including the owners of the two restaurants and Kamala Mills.
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