The Gujarat High Court issued notices to the state government and the investigating agency regarding the bail plea filed by Jaysukh Patel, the main accused in the Morbi bridge collapse and promoter of the Oreva Group, which was contracted to maintain it.
The court has finalised August 17 as the next date for the hearing. In a previous development, the Gujarat High Court had taken Suo Moto cognisance and filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) concerning the October 2022 incident, which resulted in the loss of 135 lives.
The Oreva Group informed the Gujarat High Court that it deposited with the state legal services authority the entire amount of Rs 14.62 crore as interim compensation to victims, as directed by the High Court in February.
Subsequently, the government disbanded the Morbi Municipality in line with the stern stance taken by the HC through an order dated April 11, 2023.
Patel has approached the HC with a regular bail application, asserting that he had been in custody for an extended period. He maintained that had no direct role in the case.
A 140-year-old cable suspension bridge collapsed over the Machchhu River in Morbi on October 30, 2022, less than a week after it was opened to the public after ‘renovation’ by Oreva. Regarded as an “engineering marvel” during its initial construction, the bridge was intended to showcase the progressive and scientific nature of the rulers of Morbi, as described on a website.
Operated and maintained by the Oreva Group for 15 yeSSars, the bridge had been closed for public use in March 2022 for renovation and was reopened on October 26, coinciding with the Gujarati New Year, with an entry ticket priced at Rs 17 per person.
The Oreva Group, a Morbi-based company (Ajanta Manufacturing Pvt Ltd) known for producing e-bikes, now faces scrutiny in the aftermath of the devastating incident.
