Mumbai Kamala Mills fire: Former Chief Justice of Kerala HC to probe mishap

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government on Monday apprised the Bombay High Court with the names of the three members of the panel which would conduct a probe in the tragic Kamla Mills fire mishap. The government informed the HC that the probe panel would be headed by a former Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court.

This comes in response to the orders of the division bench Justice Shantanu Kemkar and Justice Makarand Karnik which is hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking implementation of the Fire Safety Rules in all the eateries in the city.

Appearing for the government, senior counsel Vineet Naik told the bench that the panel would be headed by Chief Justice (retd.) AV Savant of the Kerala HC. He also told the judges that the panel would also consist of Vasant Thakur, an architect of the Bombay HC and K Nalinakshan, a former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer.

Having heard the names of the members of the panel, the judges directed the Committee to submit its report on August 31. The judges also directed the BMC to provide office and other stationeries to the panel.

Apart from this, the judges also said that the government must ensure that it gives decent remuneration for the panel members. “Let us clarify that the remuneration for the chairman of the panel would be at par with the salary of a sitting Chief Justice of a High Court,” the bench said.

This panel would probe the incident of Kamla Mills fire in which nearly 14 people died and several were left injured. The panel would study the causes of the fire incident and especially in the light of the alleged illegalities in obtaining the sanctions and approved plans. The panel would also examine if the restaurants were in conformity with the fire safety rules. The panel is also expected to give recommendations and suggestions to ensure all eateries in Mumbai abide by fire safety norms.