Search and rescue work on at the bridge collapse site in Morbi. (File photo | AP)
AHEMDABAD: Oreva Group Managing Director Jaysukh Patel on Tuesday surrendered before a court in Morbi in connection with last year's suspension bridge collapse tragedy in which 135 people were killed on October 30, 2022.
Patel was named as an accused in the chargesheet filed by the police on January 27. He surrendered before the court of the chief judicial magistrate which had issued an arrest warrant against him.
Ajanta Manufacturing Limited (Oreva Group) operated and maintained the suspension bridge on the Machchhu river in Morbi that collapsed days after its repairs.
After the court order, Jaysukh Patel was sent to police custody. The family members of the deceased who were present in the court surrounded the police car and chanted 'Jaysukh hay-hay' outside the court when Jaysukh Patel was being taken to jail.
Dilip Agechaniya, a lawyer representing victims in the case said that “Jaysukh Patel is the main accused, he surrendered before the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) M J Khan which had issued an arrest warrant against him, and the court has ordered to send him to jail, today the police took him in custody and for further investigation police will demand remand in the court tomorrow.”
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In the chargesheet comprising more than 1,200 pages filed by Deputy Superintendent of Police P S Zala in the CJM’s court on January 27 Jaysukh Patel was named as the prime accused absconding. The main allegation against Patel is that though he had to repair and re-open the bridge for the public after one year. The accused had allegedly opened the bridge without a fitness certificate within six months to make quick money.
Though corrosion was found on one of the main cables of the suspension bridge, he did not replace it. This bridge required expert engineers, but he simply got it repaired with ordinary fabricators, putting the lives of visitors at risk.
Jaysukh Patel moved to the Morbi district and sessions court seeking anticipatory bail in January this year. However, Patel surrendered a day ahead of the hearing of the plea which was scheduled for February 1.
