Rajkot game zone fire: Gujarat High Court grants bail to three accused

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court on Thursday granted bail to three accused who were among 15 persons, including government officials, arrested in connection with the Rajkot game zone fire tragedy that claimed 27 lives last year.

During a brief hearing on Thursday, Justice M R Mengdey granted bail to former assistant town planners Rajesh Makwana and Gautam Joshi, and former assistant engineer in the Rajkot Municipal Corporation's town planning department Jaideep Chaudhary.

The court, however, refused to grant bail to four other accused, including Rajkot's former town planning officer M D Sagathia, chief fire officer I V Kher and co-owners of the fateful TRP Game Zone - Ashoksinh Jadeja and Kiritsinh Jadeja.

A copy of the court's order is awaited.

In separate hearings held in September and October last year, the Rajkot sessions court had rejected regular bail pleas of Sagathia, Kher, Joshi, Makwana and Ashoksinh Jadeja.

A total of 15 persons have been arrested under sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), and 337 (causing hurt by an act that endangers the life or personal safety of others) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Twenty-seven persons, including four children, were killed in the massive fire that swept through TRP Game Zone in Nana-Mava locality of Rajkot city on May 25 last year. Investigations had revealed that the game zone was running without any fire NOC.