Kamala Mill fire report filed in court

Mumbai: The judicial committee report pertaining to the Kamala Mill fire last year has been filed in the Bombay high court. The report was filed in a sealed envelope.

A division bench of Justice Bhushan Gavai and Justice Makrand Karnik was hearing a PIL filed by retired police commissioner Julio Ribeiro, seeking setting up of a judicial committee under the Commissions of Inquiry Act to probe the fire and expose the illegalities committed by the restaurant owners, state and BMC officers. The petition suggested that a policy be framed to avoid such incidents in future.

The HC had ordered setting up of a three-member independent committee under the chairmanship of a retired high court judge. The committee was helmed by retired Chief Justice A.V. Savant and had two members i.e. former chief secretary K. Nalinakshan and architect on one of the high court panels, Vasant Thakur. The committee was earlier directed to submit its report to the high court on August 31. At last hearing, the court extended the time till September 10.

On Monday, BMC counsel informed the court that the commission had submitted its probe report with the registrar and that the hearing should be conducted soon. The petitioners’ lawyer Sujay Kanatawala requested the court for access to a copy.