Gujarat courtroom rejects bail pleas of seven accused in Morbi bridge collapse case
By PTI
MORBI: A courtroom right here on Saturday rejected the bail functions of seven folks arrested in reference to the collapse of a suspension bridge in Morbi city of Gujarat, by which 135 folks had been killed.
The courtroom of principal periods decide P C Joshi refused to grant bail to the seven accused, together with two managers of Oreva Group, the corporate which was given the contract for the operation and upkeep of the bridge.
The British-era bridge on Machchhu river collapsed on October 30, 2022, days after it was reopened following repairs.
Jaysukh Patel, the managing director of Oreva Group, had surrendered earlier than a courtroom right here on February 1 earlier than his arrest.
The Morbi police had final week filed a chargesheet within the case, by which 10 individuals have been arrested to date, together with Patel.
The different 9 arrested individuals embody two managers of the agency, two ticket-booking clerks, three safety guards and two sub-contractors who had been engaged within the restore works by Oreva Group.
The bail pleas of those 9 individuals had been rejected earlier by the Gujarat High Court and periods courtroom.
Except for the 2 sub-contractors, the opposite seven as soon as once more approached courtroom for bail on Thursday.
Earlier, a particular investigation staff (SIT), which was fashioned by the state authorities to probe the collapse, had cited a number of lapses on the a part of the agency.
Nearly 250 individuals had been on the hanging bridge, a well-liked vacationer website when it caved in.
According to the SIT, the lapses included lack of restriction on the variety of individuals accessing the bridge and no curb on sale of tickets, which led to unrestricted motion on the construction and finishing up repairs with out consulting consultants.
The probe had revealed the brand new metallic flooring finished by the agency had elevated the burden of the construction and it had failed to alter the rusted cables on which the complete bridge was hanging.
Apart from this, the contractors employed by Patel’s agency weren’t certified to hold out such restore and renovation work, the SIT acknowledged.
The probe report additionally revealed the Oreva Group didn’t rent any skilled company to evaluate the load-bearing capability of the carriageway earlier than throwing it open to the general public after restore and renovation work.
The prosecution had earlier knowledgeable the decrease courtroom that the agency had offered 3,165 tickets on the day of the collapse alone and there was no coordination between ticket reserving places of work on each side of the bridge.
All 10 accused, together with Jaysukh Patel, have been charged below the Indian Penal Code sections 304 (culpable murder not amounting to homicide), 308 (try to commit culpable murder), 336 (act which endangers human life), 337 (inflicting harm to any particular person by doing any rash or negligent act) and 338 (inflicting grievous harm by doing rash or negligent act).
MORBI: A courtroom right here on Saturday rejected the bail functions of seven folks arrested in reference to the collapse of a suspension bridge in Morbi city of Gujarat, by which 135 folks had been killed.
The courtroom of principal periods decide P C Joshi refused to grant bail to the seven accused, together with two managers of Oreva Group, the corporate which was given the contract for the operation and upkeep of the bridge.
The British-era bridge on Machchhu river collapsed on October 30, 2022, days after it was reopened following repairs.
Jaysukh Patel, the managing director of Oreva Group, had surrendered earlier than a courtroom right here on February 1 earlier than his arrest.
The Morbi police had final week filed a chargesheet within the case, by which 10 individuals have been arrested to date, together with Patel.
The different 9 arrested individuals embody two managers of the agency, two ticket-booking clerks, three safety guards and two sub-contractors who had been engaged within the restore works by Oreva Group.
The bail pleas of those 9 individuals had been rejected earlier by the Gujarat High Court and periods courtroom.
Except for the 2 sub-contractors, the opposite seven as soon as once more approached courtroom for bail on Thursday.
Earlier, a particular investigation staff (SIT), which was fashioned by the state authorities to probe the collapse, had cited a number of lapses on the a part of the agency.
Nearly 250 individuals had been on the hanging bridge, a well-liked vacationer website when it caved in.
According to the SIT, the lapses included lack of restriction on the variety of individuals accessing the bridge and no curb on sale of tickets, which led to unrestricted motion on the construction and finishing up repairs with out consulting consultants.
The probe had revealed the brand new metallic flooring finished by the agency had elevated the burden of the construction and it had failed to alter the rusted cables on which the complete bridge was hanging.
Apart from this, the contractors employed by Patel’s agency weren’t certified to hold out such restore and renovation work, the SIT acknowledged.
The probe report additionally revealed the Oreva Group didn’t rent any skilled company to evaluate the load-bearing capability of the carriageway earlier than throwing it open to the general public after restore and renovation work.
The prosecution had earlier knowledgeable the decrease courtroom that the agency had offered 3,165 tickets on the day of the collapse alone and there was no coordination between ticket reserving places of work on each side of the bridge.
All 10 accused, together with Jaysukh Patel, have been charged below the Indian Penal Code sections 304 (culpable murder not amounting to homicide), 308 (try to commit culpable murder), 336 (act which endangers human life), 337 (inflicting harm to any particular person by doing any rash or negligent act) and 338 (inflicting grievous harm by doing rash or negligent act).
