Morbi bridge collapse: Oreva MD Jaysukh Patel sent to 7-day police custody
February 01, 2023 22:34
A court in Gujarat's Morbi town on Wednesday sent managing director of Oreva Group Jaysukh Patel in seven-day police custody in a case related to the Morbi suspension bridge collapse which claimed 135 lives last year.
Chief judicial magistrate MJ Khan sent Patel in the custody of the special investigation team formed by the state government to probe the case till February 8.
The SIT had sought a 14-day remand, government prosecutor Sanjay Vora told reporters.
As many as 135 people were killed and many others injured when a suspension bridge on a river collapsed in Gujarat's Morbi town on October 30, 2022.
Patel, whose company was responsible for the operation and maintenance of the bridge, surrendered before the court on Tuesday evening after the court issued an arrest warrant against him.
He was later arrested by the police.
As part of maintenance, the company carried out only cosmetic repairs of the bridge rather than changing its rusting suspension cables, the prosecution told the court, Vora said.
The investigators wanted Patel's custody to question him as to why Oreva Group continued with its work on the bridge despite knowing about its dangerous condition, the prosecutor said.
"They also wanted to know on whose instructions more than 500 visitors were allowed on the bridge by the ticket collector even when he knew that allowing more than 100 persons was dangerous," Vora said. -- PTI
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