Child’s death: Court acquits hotel owners

Chandigarh, July 21

A local court has acquitted five persons, including the owners and a manager of the Hotel Solitaire in Mani Majra in a case registered against them following the death of a two-year-old after falling from the lift of the hotel six years ago.

The police registered the case against the accused on May 21, 2017, for the offences punishable under Sections 304 A, 337 and 338 of the IPC against owners Ashok Bajaj, YK Mittal, Ratan Pal, Anil Verma and manager Kuldeep Chand.

As per the prosecution, the child’s mother was inquiring regarding the room and standing at the counter when her child went towards the lift and fell 20 ft into the basement and got seriously injured. The child later succumbed to the injuries.

The mother alleged there was no grill at the site and accused the owners and the manager of negligence. The police filed the challan against the accused. The court framed the charges on December 12, 2018, to which the accused pleaded not guilty. Abhey Joshi, Madhu Vani and Sunil Singh Gill, counsels for the accused, argued the accused were falsely implicated.