Surat, 28 August 2014

Gujarat High Court today granted regular bail to Surat Municipal Corporation(SMC) engineer NK Dikshit in under construction bridge span collapse case. The court however denied anticipatory bail applications of other accused.

Contractors and engineers, booked in connection with the collapse of under-construction flyover bridge in Surat, had moved to Gujarat high court. They had filed anticipatory bail applications and regular bail plea after their requests for legal protection against arrest were turned down by a local court. Those who had sought anticipatory bail included partners of Rachna construction, which was awarded the contract to construct the bridge at Athwalines – Mahendra Patel, Rajendra Patel, Vasant Patel, Navin Patel and Janak Patel. Two executive engineers of the Surat Municipal Corporation and employees and a managing director of a consultant company. However the court has denied anticipatory bail to them all.

For the accused persons, it was submitted that the FIR, an expert committee’s report as well as an analysis from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Institute of Technology (SVNIT) – all reflected that the reason behind the collapse was its faulty design. A Mumbai-based firm SN Bhobe Associates was responsible for the design flaw.

All 18 persons, who have been booked for culpable homicide not amounting to murder besides other sections of the IPC, have claimed innocence.

Besides culpable homicide, all 18 were also booked under IPC section 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others), section 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) and section 114 (presence of all the accused at time of incident.)