This is an archive article published on June 9, 2023
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Gujarat HC grants bail to 2 accused tickets clerks in Morbi bridge collapse case
The chargesheet in the case had noted that approximately 3,165 tickets were sold on the day of the incident and despite knowing that there is an increase in the rush on the bridge, the two ticket clerks Madevbhai Solanki and Mansukhbhai Topiya failed to stop issuing tickets, which constituted gross negligence on their part.
The Gujarat High Court Friday granted bail to two accused ticket clerks in the case pertaining to the collapse of a bridge in Morbi that killed 135 persons in October last year. (File image)
The Gujarat High Court Friday granted bail to two accused ticket clerks in the case pertaining to the collapse of a bridge in Morbi that killed 135 persons in October last year. They will now be released after nearly seven months in judicial custody.
The chargesheet in the case had noted that approximately 3,165 tickets were sold on the day of the incident and despite knowing that there is an increase in the rush on the bridge, the two ticket clerks Madevbhai Solanki and Mansukhbhai Topiya failed to stop issuing tickets, which constituted gross negligence on their part.
It also stated that the two clerks assigned “security work to inexperienced security guards on the bridge for financial benefit of the company.”
Advocate Rahul Sharma, appearing for the victims of the bridge collapse, submitted before the court that in the chargesheet, allegations against the two also included that they participated in the supervision of the poor construction of the bridge. “So they were taking instructions and not raising protest over all kinds of bhangar (scrap) material used for repair of the bridge,” he said. A detailed order is awaited.
The 10 accused in the case, including Oreva Group MD Jaysukh Patel, are facing charges under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Three accused security guards were earlier granted bail in May after six months in custody.
The Gujarat High Court Friday granted bail to two accused ticket clerks in the case pertaining to the collapse of a bridge in Morbi that killed 135 persons in October last year. (File image) 
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