In a significant development, the Gujarat High Court on Thursday granted bail to three individuals involved in the Rajkot game zone fire incident, which resulted in the tragic loss of 27 lives last year. The court’s decision came during a brief session overseen by Justice M R Mengdey.
The three beneficiaries of the court’s decision are former assistant town planners Rajesh Makwana and Gautam Joshi, along with former assistant engineer Jaideep Chaudhary of the Rajkot Municipal Corporation’s town planning department. These officials were among 15 arrested following the devastating fire at TRP Game Zone in Nana-Mava locality of Rajkot city on May 25.
Despite the relief granted to Makwana, Joshi, and Chaudhary, the High Court declined to extend bail to four other key figures in the case. These include Rajkot’s former town planning officer M D Sagathia, chief fire officer I V Kher, and the co-owners of TRP Game Zone, Ashoksinh Jadeja and Kiritsinh Jadeja.
This judicial ruling followed a series of unsuccessful bail applications in the Rajkot sessions court during September and October of the previous year, involving Sagathia, Kher, Joshi, Makwana, and Ashoksinh Jadeja.
All 15 accused in this case face serious charges under the Indian Penal Code, including sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), and 337 (causing hurt by an act that endangers the life or personal safety of others).
The tragic event highlighted severe safety lapses, as investigations revealed that the game zone was operating without the necessary fire NOC (No Objection Certificate). The inferno claimed the lives of 27 individuals, including four children, casting a shadow over the city’s public safety measures.
