Gujarat High Court rejects anticipatory bail of Palanpur bridge collapse accused

Updated: Jan 23rd, 2024


Updated on Jan 23, at 10.45 a.m.

The Gujarat High Court rejected anticipatory bail for the accused site in charge and engineer Mahendra Patel in the Palanpur bridge collapse accident that took the lives of two individuals.

Additional public prosecutor advocate Himanshu Patel said that it is a serious offence in which the accused himself is involved.

Rejecting the anticipatory bail of the accused, Justice JC Doshi said that as the accused is himself the director of the company (GP Infrastructure), it was his sole responsibility to take the safety-related steps. In this case, the accused has shown grave irresponsibility, which led to the accident taking two lives.

“It is clear that the accused has not taken any safety measures. Moreover, the accused did not cooperate during the investigation of the case, so the anticipatory bail of the accused has been rejected,” said Justice Doshi.


Updated on Jan 12, 2.51 p.m.

During the hearing of the Palanpur bridge collapse case, the Gujarat High Court judge sarcastically commented, “purchasing of bail,” on the arguments from the directors’ side when the company offered monetary compensation to the victims of the incident.

A total of seven directors and four engineers of the contract company GPC Infrastructure were booked under Section 304 of the IPC (culpable homicide) in the incident of the Palanpur bridge collapse.

For the anticipatory bail of the site in charge and engineer Mahendra Patel, the council argued that he was a mere project in charge.

On Oct 23, the day of the unfortunate incident, the appointed barricades and traffic management were absent. At that time, 23 traffic marshals were appointed to the duty. However, on the part of the bridge that collapsed, the appointed traffic marshals were not present.

The council also argued that the person who is booked under culpable homicide was not even aware of the incident.

As the council went on to request anticipatory bail for the accused, he also said that taking responsibility for the incident, the company desires to compensate the families of the victims.

In response, Justice Doshi smirked and commented, “Purchasing bail?”

Understanding the sarcasm of the judge, the council asserted that the company just wanted to help the victims of the family without having any purpose behind it.

Palanpur bridge collapse

In a tragic incident that took place on Oct 23, a section of an under-construction bridge near RTO Circle in Palanpur collapsed, taking the lives of two individuals.

Two individuals, including one sitting in the rickshaw, died in the  incident. 18-year-old Mayur Chandrethiya and 26-year-old Ajay Shrimali, residents of Kasba Vas in Palanpur, died under the debris of the bridge.


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