Morbi bridge tragedy: Gujarat HC notice to govt after seven accused seek bail

AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat high court has admitted bail applications filed by seven persons arrested in connection with the Morbi suspension bridge collapse case and issued notice to the state government.

There were eight persons arrested after the bridge collapsed on October 30 evening and 135 persons lost their lives and 56 other sustained injuries.
A sessions court in Morbi denied them bail on November 23. They are Devang Parmar of Dev Prakash Solutions, which had got the subcontract of bridge repairs, two managers of Oreva Group - Dinesh Dave and Dipak Parekh, a subcontractor Prakash Parmar, ticket booking clerks and security guards - Mansukh Topiya, Mahadev Solanki, Alpesh Gohil, Dilip Gohil and Mukesh Chauhan.
These persons have been booked under sections 304, 308, 336, 337 and 114 of the IPC – for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, acting in rash and negligent manner to endanger people’s lives and abetment.
Seven of them, except Devant Parmar, filed bail applications in the high court claiming innocence. The applications came up for the hearing on Tuesday. Justice Samir Dave admitted their applications and sought reply from the state government by January 2, 2023, when further hearing on the bail pleas is posted.

On November 23, additional sessions judge P C Joshi refused bail to these accused with observation that they had not performed the duty. For two managers of Ajanta Manufacturing Co Ltd of Oreva Group – Dave and Parekh – the trial court said that though they were assigned with the task to supervise the repairing and renovation of the bridge, they possessed no knowledge in this regard.
For these two managers, the Morbi court commented that though many wires of total 49 wires in the main cable of the suspension bridge were corroded and broken, they did not do anything to change the main cable. There was no distribution of work as to who would regulate people’s entry on the bridge. The supervision was not proper.