A director of Kamala Mills Ltd has approached the Bombay High Court seeking to quash the culpable homicide case registered against him in connection with the 29 December fire in the Kamala Mills compound that claimed 14 lives.

Ravi Bhandari’s petition was mentioned on Friday before a division bench of Justices B R Gavai and B P Colabawala and posted for hearing after two weeks.

The bench pointed out that pendency of the petition shall have no effect on the hearing of the bail plea filed by Bhandari before a sessions court.

Bhandari was arrested last month along with fire officer Rajendra Patil and one Utkarsh Pandey, who supplied hookahs to the pubs – Mojo’s Bistro and 1 Above – where the fire started. All three are in judicial custody presently.

In his petition before the high court, Bhandari claimed that a serious charge of culpable homicide was not applicable to him. At the most it was a case of negligence, which was bailable, he said.

In the past few weeks, the N.M. Joshi Marg Police has nabbed the owners-partner and staffers of both the pubs who are presently in custody.

They have been, among other things, charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

The fire triggered outrage all over, and resulted in filing of several PILs, including one by former supercop Julio F. Rebeiro and social activists.

The 29 December fire broke out in The Mojo’s Bistro, spread to the adjacent 1Above and other establishments on the terrace top of Kamala Trade House.

Fourteen persons were killed and several others injured in the blaze.

The Mumbai Fire Brigade had in its preliminary probe report on the fire, which had engulfed Mojo’s Bistro and the adjacent “1 Above” pub at the Kamala Mills compound in Lower Parel on 29 December, had said the fire possibly started at Mojo’s Bistro due to the flying embers from a hookah.

To douse the public anger, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had suspended five of its officials in connection with the fire accident at a restaurant in Central Mumbai’s Kamala Mills complex, that claimed 14 lives.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation had also launched its biggest drive against unauthorised eateries, hotels and restaurants across Mumbai, with neighbouring civic bodies in Thane and Navi Mumbai following suit.