Two more AMRI hospital directors get bail

Kolkata, March 28 (IANS) The Calcutta High Court Wednesday granted bail to two directors of the AMRI Hospital who spent nearly four months in custody after they were arrested for the fire tragedy which claimed 94 lives late last December.

"R.S. Goenka and Prashant Goenka were granted bail by the bench of Justices A.K. Ray and A.K. Roy today (Wednesday). The court observed that the petitioners were not involved in the daily affairs of the hospital. Moreover, charge sheet has already been filed and 455 witnesses have been examined, so the court held that their custody was not required and hence granted bail," AMRI counsel Salim Rahman said.

R.S. Goenka is the chairman of the Emami group which, along with the Shrachi group, owns majority of the stake in the hospital which also has state government representation.

In all, 16 people have been charge sheeted in the case of which 13 people had been arrested while three others, who all are directors, are absconding.

Three of the accused including the managing director Mani Chettri were earlier granted bail.

The Dec 9 pre-dawn blaze at 3.30 a.m. in the hospital located in South Kolkata's Dhakuria choked to death mostly critically ill patients -- many of them in their sleep -- and two nurses, while most doctors and other staffers were able to get away.