The Gujarat High Court on Wednesday deferred the hearing on the interim bail plea of Oreva Group Managing Director Jaysukh Patel, the primary accused in the Morbi bridge collapse that resulted in the tragic loss of 135 lives last year.
Justice Divyesh A Joshi's courtroom declined an urgent hearing on the plea filed by Patel's legal representative, Nirupam Nanavati, seeking interim bail for the accused pending the regular bail application. The court scheduled the next hearing for October 27, coinciding with the date set for the regular bail plea.
The British-era suspension bridge spanning the Machchhu River in Morbi town, Gujarat, collapsed on October 30 last year, claiming the lives of 135 individuals and injuring 56 others.
Oreva Group, headquartered in Rajkot, held responsibility for the maintenance and operation of the ill-fated bridge.
The state government-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) underscored "serious operational and technical lapses" by Oreva Group in its report on the tragedy. The report was submitted to the high court on October 10 during the suo motu Public Interest Litigation (PIL) proceedings on the incident.
The SIT investigation revealed that the bridge collapse resulted from "lapses at the administrative level to follow the due procedure as per government norms, and also due to technical incompetency to repair the bridge and test it before opening it to the public."
The report strongly condemned the lackadaisical approach of Oreva Company's management, characterizing the incident as "one of the most severe and tragic human calamities" that cannot be overlooked.
A total of 10 individuals, including Patel, two managers from Oreva Group, two sub-contractors responsible for the bridge repair, three security guards, and two ticket booking clerks, have been named as accused in the case. They face charges under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including culpable homicide not amounting to murder, acts endangering human life, and rash or negligent acts.