The Delhi High Court extended Lovkesh Bajaj's interim bail by six weeks on medical grounds. The order balances post-surgery complications with strict verification and surrender conditions.
Image used for representational purposes only
Newdelhi,Oct 16, 2026 16:52 IST
The Delhi High Court has extended by six weeks the interim bail granted to the owner of a Delhi hotel where a fire killed 23 people in June, news agency Press Trust of India reported.
Justice Sachin Datta extended the relief granted to 59-year-old Lovkesh Bajaj on medical grounds after considering his medical reports and complications following surgery. The court had earlier granted him interim bail for four weeks.
Bajaj underwent major abdominal surgery on August 31. He was discharged from hospital on September 15 and readmitted in October.
“In the circumstances, having regard to the post-operation complications and the medical reports, the interim bail granted to the applicant/petitioner, vide order dated September 21, 2026..., is extended by a period of six weeks from the date of its expiry,” the court said in an order passed on Thursday, according to PTI.
The court directed the investigating officer to verify the medical documents submitted by Bajaj. It said the State could seek cancellation of his interim bail if any document was found to be not genuine or if his medical condition had been misrepresented.
Bajaj has been directed to surrender before the jail superintendent after the extended interim bail period expires. He had sought the extension because of complications following surgery, while the prosecutor opposed the plea, citing the gravity of the offence.
Bajaj is an accused in connection with the June 3 fire at the five-storey Flourish Stay bed-and-breakfast establishment in Hauz Rani. Twenty-three people were killed and 24 others suffered serious injuries in the blaze.
On September 3, a trial court rejected Bajaj’s plea for four weeks of interim bail on medical grounds. It said he was receiving adequate specialised treatment in custody and that the medical emergency cited by him had already been addressed through surgery at RML Hospital.
In his plea before the trial court, Bajaj cited serious abdominal complications and said doctors had advised surgery. The court noted that he was first taken to Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital and later referred to RML Hospital.
Delhi Police have filed a chargesheet against Bajaj, manager-cum-accountant Jay Mishra and cook Keshav Negi. Police alleged that the 26-room establishment was operating in violation of bed-and-breakfast rules, which permitted only six rooms.
According to the investigation cited by PTI, Bajaj had applied for a hotel licence, but the application was rejected because the property had only one entry and exit point and did not have a fire exit. Police alleged that he operated the establishment under the bed-and-breakfast framework instead of applying again.
The fire allegedly began in the kitchen after Negi left an oil fryer switched on while preparing tea. Police said the flames spread rapidly through the building, with inflammable material and the single entry-exit route worsening the situation.
The High Court has now extended Bajaj’s interim bail by six weeks on medical grounds, while directing the police to verify his documents and ordering him to surrender after the relief ends.
- Ends