The Allahabad High Court has granted bail to a third-floor tenant accused in connection with the June 2024 Aliganj fire that claimed 15 lives, ruling that the building owner prima facie failed to adhere to mandatory fire-safety norms and emergency preparedness measures.
Delivering the order at the High Court’s Lucknow bench, Justice Manish Kumar granted relief to Suresh Kumar Sahu, who had been incarcerated since June 23, 2024. The bench highlighted that Sahu was neither the owner of the structure nor present on the premises when the fatal blaze broke out on June 22.
Absence of Common Roof Access and Alternate Exits
Investigators had accused Sahu of keeping a channel gate outside his rented premises locked, arguing that additional lives might have been saved during the incident had the pathway remained open. Dismissing this contention as a basis for continued detention, the court noted that Sahu could not have anticipated the outbreak of a fire, nor could he have expected that locking his rented unit would lead to casualties.
Photographic records examined by the bench revealed significant architectural constraints within the property. The court observed that the building prima facie operated with only a single exit and had no exterior staircase leading from the third floor to the roof. Furthermore, a wall erected by the property owner on the third level formed a dead end, leaving occupants with no shared passage to reach the terrace. Access to the roof from the third floor was possible only through a wooden ladder Sahu had set up within his rented quarters.
Owner Accountability and Lack of Criminal Antecedents
Addressing the issue of institutional responsibility, the court observed that establishing adequate arrangements to handle emergency situations and ensuring compliance with safety standards rested prima facie with the building owner, not a tenant. The bench also weighed the fact that Sahu possessed no prior criminal record and had remained in custody since the day following the tragedy.
The fire broke out on June 22, 2024, inside a building in Lucknow’s Aliganj area, leaving 15 occupants dead and trapping several others. The investigation subsequently centered on severe structural deficiencies, including a critical lack of evacuation pathways and absent fire-prevention infrastructure.
