In this case, 10 people were made accused in the charge sheet filed by the police in the court. Out of which 9 people had already been arrested, but the director of Oreva Group was absconding.
New Delhi: Oreva Group’s Managing Director (MD) Jaysukh Patel, accused in Gujarat’s Morbi bridge collapse case, surrendered in the CJM Court in Morbi on Tuesday. Earlier, the CJM court had issued a warrant against Jaysukh Patel. At the same time, a charge sheet of 1,262 pages was filed in this case. The name of Jaysukh Patel of Oreva Group was included as an accused in the charge sheet.
10 People were made accused in the charge sheet filed by the police in the court. Out of which 9 people had already been arrested, but the director of Oreva Group was absconding. Manager Deepak Parekh, Dinesh Dave, three security guards, two ticket clerks and as many private contract workers have been arrested by the police and they are in judicial custody.
The major allegation against the Oreva group is that they opened the suspension bridge to the public without proper fitness certificate. In this case the municipality said that we had not issued any fitness certificate to the company, and it has not even informed us that it is opening the suspension bridge to the public. A special investigation team constituted by the state government to probe the accident has pointed out several lapses on the part of the firm.
The Gujarat High Court on Wednesday agreed to Oreva Group’s offer to pay compensation to the victims of the Morbi bridge collapse, but said it would not absolve it of any liability. Last year, 135 people had lost their lives and many others were injured in this accident which took place on October 30.
The Oreva Group (Ajanta Manufacturing Limited) was entrusted with the responsibility of operation and maintenance of this cable-stayed bridge over the Machchhu River, built during the British rule. The company, which has been made a party in the case, has offered compensation to the next of kin of 135 dead, 56 injured and seven orphaned children. To this, the court directed him to file an affidavit and said that such an act “will not absolve him from any liability either directly or indirectly”.
