Flourish Stay owner sent to 4-day police custody; MCD finds 12 nearby B&Bs in breach of their permits
A day after a major fire killed 21 people at the Flourish Stay B&B in Delhi’s Malviya Nagar, the building’s owner, Lavkesh Bajaj, was remanded in police custody for four days by a district court on Thursday on charges of murder, not amounting to murder, among others. Mr Bajaj’s manager Rakesh and his accountant Jay Mishra – in whose name the B&B license was issued – are still on the run, the Delhi Police said.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi has identified 12 more bed and breakfasts (B&Bs) in the area that were operating in violation of their permits from the Delhi Tourism Department and offering accommodation far beyond the permitted six rooms. The Delhi government says it will close down all unauthorized structures and buildings operating without fire safety equipment as part of the month-long crackdown.
In the case of Flourish Stay B&B, it had an illegal 24 rooms spread over six floors, apart from a restaurant on the ground floor, which also did not have the necessary licence. The B&B was being run without any fire No Objection Certificate (NOC) and was abusing the permits issued by the state tourism department, police said.
Bodies of foreign victims handed over
The Hauz Rani area of Malviya Nagar, where the tragedy occurred, is a hub for medical tourism and has a large number of hotels providing accommodation to patients of the nearby Max Hospital and their attendants. Twelve of those killed in the fire were foreign nationals from Congo, Mozambique, Liberia and Bangladesh and their bodies were handed over to their respective embassies on Thursday.
At least 13 international patients injured in the fire are still being admitted at Max Saket, along with two Indians who were also injured. Six patients are on ventilator support, while nine patients have been admitted to the ICU and wards, the hospital said in a statement. One patient was discharged later in the day.
Culpable homicide
The police have registered a case under Sections 105 (murder not amounting to murder), 326(g) (offence by arson), 324(5) (damaging property), 125(a) (negligent act endangering human life and safety), 125(b) (grievous bodily harm) for negligence (negligence)28 negligence Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Police have not yet identified other individuals involved in the construction, management and operation of the site and their respective roles. The investigation will include the recovery of guest registers, booking records, online booking details, financial records and hotel bank account records.
Intervention against violations of fire standards
The Delhi government has announced a month-long crackdown on violators of fire norms from Thursday. Fire safety standards will be checked in all hotels, lodges, guest houses, care homes, coaching institutes, restaurants and other vulnerable commercial establishments. “Under this action, all unauthorized establishments running without fire safety equipment and unauthorized structures will be sealed,” said AK Malik, Deputy Chief Fire Officer, Delhi Fire Services, though official orders are yet to be issued.
The MCD will seek to cancel the license of 12 B&Bs that have been identified as violators of Delhi’s B&B policy, said Rakesh Kumar, Deputy Commissioner of MCD South Zone. He explained that once the licenses of the B&Bs are canceled by the State Tourism Board in this case, the premises of these establishments will be sealed by the MCD. After sealing the B&B facility in Hauz Rani, a similar journey will follow in Khirki, Humanyunpur, Deoli and Khanpur, he said.
“We issue licenses for restaurants and hotels, but B&Bs are not under our purview. Whoever approved the license to operate a B&B must carry out inspections to ensure compliance,” he added.
The MCD issued a ‘tea and refreshments (non-seating)’ license for the Flourish Stay B&B address in 2023, subject to annual renewal. In reality, however, there is a much larger restaurant with seating in the building. The licensing process back then required no physical verification.
MCD South Zone Construction Department has prepared a report on the condition of Flourish building which has been sent to the MCD Commissioner. Based on detailed instructions from the Delhi governor, a team led by the building department will be formed to identify residential and commercial buildings on the ground floor and four floors that pose a hazardous risk, after which orders for demolition or evacuation will be considered, Mr. Kumar said.
Published – 04 Jun 2026 16:51 IST