SURAT: Father of one of the 22 Takshashila Arcade fire victims, Jaysukhlal Gajera, approached the Gujarat High Court on Friday and filed a special criminal application seeking legal action against the officials of the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) and the Dakshin Gujarat Vij Company Limited (DGVCL) on Friday.
The petition is likely to come up for hearing next week.
In his petition, Gajera, father of Grishma Gajera (17), has stated that the investigation in the case should be transferred to State CID Crime and appropriate interim directions be issued to the commissioner of Surat police for carrying out impartial investigation in the FIR lodged at Sarthana police station.
According to Gajera, the police has named three accused — Harshul Vekaria, Jingesh Oagdhal, owners of the second, third and fourth floor of the Takshashila arcade—and Bhargav Butani, owner of the Creative Design Studio classes in the FIR.
However, the officials of the SMC and DGVCL were not included in the FIR despite the fact that the illegal structures were erected on the building without attracting action from the authorities.
There was illegal use of the Takshashila Arcade without any fire safety system with the connivance and under the protective umbrella of the authorities of fire department and other authorities of the SMC, Gajera’s petition read.
Gajera’s advocate Zakki Shaikh told TOI, “Though there is a prima facie case against the officials of SMC and DGVCL, but the city police has not made them accused nor have they taken their statements and released them. The police has given the SMC and DGVCL officers ample opportunity for making merit of anticipatory bail.”
Shaikh added, “The SMC has lodged complaint with the Surat police after the Takshashila Arcade case and that the complainant is the person who was heading the Varachha zone where the major fire incident occurred. To save the officer, the SMC chose to make the complaint in his name. Actually, the officer should be one of the accused in the case.”
The petition is likely to come up for hearing next week.
In his petition, Gajera, father of Grishma Gajera (17), has stated that the investigation in the case should be transferred to State CID Crime and appropriate interim directions be issued to the commissioner of Surat police for carrying out impartial investigation in the FIR lodged at Sarthana police station.
According to Gajera, the police has named three accused — Harshul Vekaria, Jingesh Oagdhal, owners of the second, third and fourth floor of the Takshashila arcade—and Bhargav Butani, owner of the Creative Design Studio classes in the FIR.
However, the officials of the SMC and DGVCL were not included in the FIR despite the fact that the illegal structures were erected on the building without attracting action from the authorities.
There was illegal use of the Takshashila Arcade without any fire safety system with the connivance and under the protective umbrella of the authorities of fire department and other authorities of the SMC, Gajera’s petition read.
Gajera’s advocate Zakki Shaikh told TOI, “Though there is a prima facie case against the officials of SMC and DGVCL, but the city police has not made them accused nor have they taken their statements and released them. The police has given the SMC and DGVCL officers ample opportunity for making merit of anticipatory bail.”
Shaikh added, “The SMC has lodged complaint with the Surat police after the Takshashila Arcade case and that the complainant is the person who was heading the Varachha zone where the major fire incident occurred. To save the officer, the SMC chose to make the complaint in his name. Actually, the officer should be one of the accused in the case.”
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