The collapse of the foot overbridge (FoB) near Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) that killed six people and injured 31, has already seen one petition being filed in the Bombay high court (HC) over the maintenance of rail overbridges (RoB) and FoBs. On Monday, a second petitioner will approach the court, seeking restoration of her writ petition that was disposed of recently after the Railways and Central government assured the court a new RoB would become functional soon at Bandra (East), in place of old RoB.

Advocate KPP Nair, who appeared for petitioner Swati Trivedi in the plea filed in 2006, alleged that the Union of India through additional solicitor general (ASG) Anil Singh seems to have misled the court. “The ASG’s assurances seem to have been empty words and aimed at misleading the court and getting the petition disposed of. I will be seeking restoration of the petition,” said Nair. The petitioner will seek an urgent hearing.

Reacting to Nair’s comments, ASG Singh said he had only informed the court about the statements made by the railway authorities. In the event of the petition being restored, he would have to ask the railway ministry to clarify its stand on the issue before the court, he said.

The court is scheduled to hear the first petition, filed by Pradeep Bhalekar a day after the bridge collapse, on March 22.

In August 2018, ASG Singh informed a HC bench of justices Naresh Patil and GS Kulkarni that the BMC had taken necessary steps for renovation, construction, maintenance of FoBs and that the contribution from BMC towards the same was ₹27 crore.

Nair said that in January, the Union of India had through ASG Singh assured the HC bench of chief justice Naresh Patil and justice NM Jamdar that a new bridge was being constructed as an alternative to the old RoB. Work on the new ROB however, Nair said, was stalled and commuters were forced to use the old RoB.

First Published: Mar 17, 2019 01:56 IST