AMRI director gets bail, pleas of four others rejected

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The Calcutta High Court on Friday granted bail to AMRI director R.S. Agarwal but rejected similar pleas of four other board members of the private hospital, where over 90 people suffocated to death in the December 9 fire tragedy.

A division bench, comprising Justice Asim Roy and Justice Tarun Gupta, granted the bail prayer of Agarwal and rejected those of R.S. Goenka, Manish Goenka, Prasant Goenka and Ravi Todi.

The division bench directed that the bail prayers of the four were being rejected at this stage but gave them liberty to move the court again after conclusion of the investigation into the fire.

The accused, charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, have been in custody for the last 70 days.

With the chargesheet in the case yet to be submitted, state counsel Kalyan Banerjee assured the court that it would be done within the stipulated 90 days from the date of registration of the case.

Agarwal's counsel had submitted that his client had not attended any board meeting of AMRI Hospitals in 2011 since he has been ill for a long time and as such could not be held responsible in any manner. Agarwal is at present admitted at the state-run SSKM Hospital.