A fire broke out early Sunday morning at the Karkardooma Court Complex in East Delhi. According to officials, a call regarding the fire was received at 5:22 am from the second floor of the court complex near Gate No. 4. The blaze was reported inside the scanning room, where an electrical item is believed to have caught fire. Firefighters rushed to the spot and launched an operation to contain the flames. The fire was successfully extinguished by 5:50 am.
Officials confirmed that no injuries or casualties were reported in the incident.
Days after Delhi's Malviya Nagar tragedy
This comes days after the devastating fire at a bed-and-breakfast facility in Delhi's Malviya Nagar that killed 21 people and brought serious safety violations to light. Officials said the establishment was allegedly operating beyond its approved capacity and lacked a sanctioned building plan.
Following the tragedy, the Delhi government on Thursday formed district- and subdivision-level committees to inspect properties and take sealing action against establishments found violating fire safety regulations and building norms.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta convened a high-level meeting to review fire safety compliance and tackle unauthorised constructions across the capital. The Delhi government has asserted that strict action will be taken against anyone found responsible for the incident, including building owners, officials and other individuals whose negligence may have contributed to the loss of life.
Delhi Police has so far arrested hotel owner Lovkesh Bajaj and the cook identified as Keshav Negi, following an extensive search operation. Investigators tracked him down after issuing a Look-Out Circular (LOC) against both him and his wife in connection with the incident.
Bajaj has been booked under several provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including culpable homicide not amounting to murder, mischief by fire, causing damage to property, endangering human life, and negligent handling of fire-related hazards.
A court in Saket has remanded him to four days of police custody to aid the ongoing investigation into the deadly blaze.
Apart from the fire case, Bajaj is also under investigation in a separate matter related to alleged illegal immigration. Police claim that during questioning, he admitted to allowing two Bangladeshi nationals, Sweety Sarkar and her daughter Pushpo Sarkar, to use his residential address in Chattarpur to obtain Indian identity documents, including Aadhaar cards and passports, in return for money.
According to investigators, the mother and daughter were living in Delhi using allegedly forged documents. Police subsequently arrested all three accused, and a chargesheet has already been filed before the court in the case.
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