Morbi bridge collapse: Hearing on Oreva Group MD's pre-arrest bail plea adjourned till Feb 1
The Hindu
The suspension bridge was maintained and operated by Oreva Group as per an agreement signed with the Morbi municipality.
A sessions court here on Saturday adjourned till February 1 the hearing in the anticipatory bail application filed by Ajanta Manufacturing Limited's managing director in connection with the collapse of the suspension bridge here on October 30 that killed 135 persons.
The court of principal district and sessions judge P.C. Joshi deferred the hearing of the anticipatory bail plea moved by Jaysukh Patel to February 1 as the public prosecutor was not present.
Ajanta Manufacturing Limited (Oreva Group) was responsible for the operation and maintenance of the ill-fated British-era suspension bridge on the Machchu river that collapsed on October 30, killing 135 persons and injuring more than hundred others.
Mr. Patel had on January 16 moved the anticipatory bail plea in the sessions court here fearing arrest in the case with the police due to file a charge sheet in the case in the next few days.
The suspension bridge was maintained and operated by Oreva Group as per an agreement signed with the Morbi municipality.
The Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report revealed that rusty cables, broken anchor pins, and loose bolts were among the lapses that were not addressed while renovating the suspension bridge. It revealed that the Oreva Group did not hire any expert agency to assess the load-bearing capacity of the bridge before throwing it open to the public.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed by the government to investigate the matter had cited, among other things, several lapses on the part of Oreva Group in repairs, maintenance and operation of the bridge.
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