Court Denies Bail for Doctor in Deadly Hospital Fire Case

The court has rejected the bail plea filed by Dr. Akash, a private hospital doctor arrested in connection with the deaths of newborns due to a fire at a children’s hospital. Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Vidhi Gupta Anand of Karkardooma Court stated that the investigation is ongoing and that granting bail to Dr. Akash could potentially lead to evidence tampering.

On May 30, the court had remanded both Dr. Naveen Khichi, the owner of Vivek Vihar Baby Care Hospital, and Dr. Akash, who was on duty during the late-night fire on May 25, to judicial custody until June 13. The fire resulted in the deaths of seven newborns and injuries to five others. The hospital, located in East Delhi, was allegedly operating with an expired license and without approval from the fire department.

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A case has been registered at Vivek Vihar police station under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC): section 336 (endangering life and personal safety of others), section 304A (causing death by negligence), section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), and section 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide not amounting to murder). Both doctors were arrested on May 27 and placed in police custody.