MUMBAI: Shiv Sena member Sunil Shitap, arrested in connection with the building collapse in suburban Ghatkopar in July in which 17 people were killed, has moved the Bombay High Court seeking bail.
A lower court had rejected his bail plea on August 25.
An inquiry report of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had said that the unauthorised renovation work carried out by Shitap on the ground floor of the Siddhi Sai building led to its collapse on July 25.
In the bail plea, Shitap claims that he was falsely implicated in the case by his political rivals.
The court is likely to hear his application tomorrow.
Family members of the victims have also filed an intervention application in the High Court, opposing Shitap's plea.
As per the intervention application filed through advocate Ashish Mehta, "the accused (Shitap) had removed all the load-bearing internal walls of a portion of the building".
"He had also removed six columns and beams of the collapsed building... A new rolling shutter was installed by cutting the wall that was facing the Society's main gate and other major structural changes had been made... which ultimately resulted in the fatal incident," it said.