A Maharashtra court on Sunday remanded two builders, arrested in connection with the wall collapse in Kondhwa where 15 labourers were killed, in police custody till July 2.

Vipul Agarwal and Vivek Agarwal, developers and partners in Alcon Landmarks, were arrested on Saturday after a portion of a 22ft-high compound wall of a housing society collapsed on adjoining shanties of construction workers following incessant rain.

They were produced before judicial magistrate (first class) S.S. Ramdin, who remanded them in police custody till Tuesday.

At least 15 people were killed and two injured when the compound wall of the housing society — Alcon Stylus — in the Kondhwa area collapsed on the makeshift shanties on Saturday. Police had registered a case of culpable homicide against the developers of two construction firms — Alcon Landmarks and Kanchan Royal Exotica — and arrested the Agarwals on Saturday evening.

The prosecution told the court the police custody of the accused was required to investigate the case, as residents of the housing society had raised the issue of the compound wall’s condition with the builders from time to time but no action had been taken.

The police said they needed to seize some documents and maps of the Alcon Stylus building and investigate to whom the developers had given the contract to construct the wall.

Defence lawyer Sanjay Agarwal opposed the demand for police custody, saying it could not be a case of culpable homicide. “It is a case of death caused by negligence under the Indian Penal Code’s Section 304-A,” he said.

The police have booked the accused under IPC Sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 34 (common intention).

After hearing the two sides, the judge sent both the accused to police custody. PTI