Dombivli blast: 3 weeks after arrest, factory owners get bail
A massive explosion took place around 1.30 pm on May 23 in Amudan Chemicals in Dombivli MIDC phase-2.
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Among the dead, 10 of them were working for Mehta’s company. (File Photo)The Thane Sessions court Friday granted bail to the owner couple of the Amudan Chemical Pvt Ltd, three weeks after they were arrested in connection with the blast at their factory in Dombivli MIDC which killed 13 people.
The accused, Malay Mehta (38) and his wife Sneha Mehta (35), both Ghatkopar residents, were arrested on charges of culpable homiside not amounting to murder. Mehta was arrested on May 24, while Sneha was arrested on May 28.
The duo was granted bail after their lawyer argued before the court that keeping the two behind bars will not serve any purpose as their custodial interrogation is already done by the police.
The Thane police had opposed the couple’s bail application saying that it is a serious case wherein 13 people have died. “We strongly opposed the bail application saying if the accused were let off at this stage then they may escape the country or may hamper the evidence or try to influence witnesses in the case,” said investigating officer in the case, senior inspector Ashok Koli. However, the court was not convinced from the prosecution’s say and granted the couple bail. A senior Thane police officer said that they are going to appeal against the bail given to the accused in the high Court.
Earlier the accused couple’s lawyer had argued before the local court saying the case is a misfit for a culpable homiside not amounting to murder, and the incident could have happened due to the chemical chain reaction caused by the heatwave, in an “act of God”.
The accused person was not at the site when the accident occurred. There was no intent behind the incident. Malay Mehta is a chemical engineer, while his wife is a commerce graduate, she is a homemaker, Mehta’s lawyer had argued.
Among the dead, 10 of them were working for Mehta’s company.
Meanwhile, a senior police officer said that all nine people who were reported missing have been identified as the DNAs of unidentified bodies and body parts were matched with their DNAs. “We have handed over all the nine bodies and body parts to the kin of the deceased,” the senior officer said.
The police are yet get the reports from the Forensic Science Lab and the concerned inquiry team of experts from Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health Maharashtra, regarding the possible reason behind the reactor blast.
4 killed and 4 injured in massive blast at chemical company in Maharashtra's #Dombivli
Police are also obtaining details of technical aspects regarding the installation and maintenance of the reactor and other machines in the company.
The investigators are probing if the safety audits were duly carried out and safety certificates were duly secured or not.
A massive explosion took place around 1.30 pm on May 23 in Amudan Chemicals in Dombivli MIDC phase-2. The blast triggered two subsequent blasts as other chemical companies were nearby.
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