AMRI fire: Hospital director denied bail

A court on Friday refused bail to AMRI Hospital director RS Agarwal, arrested in connection with the December 9 fire incident in the high-cost health facility that left 94 dead.

Agarwal, now admitted at the state-run SSKM hospital, had moved the plea, seeking bail on health grounds, in the court of the South 24 Parganas' district judge.

Additional District Judge S Mitra, who heard the case in the absence of the district judge, rejected the appeal after finding merit in the prosecution argument that Agarwal needed to be kept in custody for the purpose of the investigation.

Six other directors and two management staff are already behind bars in connection with the December 9 blaze. The trade licence of the hospital in south Kolkata's Dhakuria has been cancelled following the country's worst fire tragedy in a hospital.