Morbi bridge collapse chargesheet filed, Oreva MD Jaysukh Patel named accused

The chargesheet that runs into 1,262 pages has added Jaysukh Patel as an accused, along with the nine accused who have already been arrested, including two managers at the Oreva Group. The nine accused are in judicial custody while Patel continues to be at large with a magisterial court issuing an arrest warrant against him on January 13. The police suspect that Patel has not left the country, according to a top police official involved in the probe.

According to a pressnote issued by the office of Morbi SP, 367 persons have been named as witnesses in the chargesheet

According to the probe team, Patel has been arraigned as an accused as all dealings and communications related to the bridge’s repair, operations and management were directly in his purview with the recovery of documents from Oreva’s premises in Morbi showing his signatures on all such documents.

The police said that the final Forensic Science Laboratory report is awaited and has thus not been affixed with the chargesheet.

The police filed an FIR under sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 114 (abettor present when offence is committed) of the Indian Penal Code against the “agencies responsible for maintenance and management” of the bridge “along with others whose names may emerge during the course of the investigation”, without specifically naming anyone in October 2022.

Subsequently, nine people, including AMPL managers Deepak Parekh and Dineshbhai Dave, two ticket-booking clerks, three security guards posted at the bridge and two private contractors who had carried out repair and maintenance of the bridge between March and October last year, were arrested. Parekh and Dave were in charge of the Morbi and Samakhiali manufacturing plants respectively.

Days after 135 people were killed in the bridge collapse incident, the police in November had moved the magisterial court for the addition of offences under sections 336, 337  and 338 (hurt and injury due to negligence) of the IPC and the same was permitted by the court.

The chargesheet has been filed against the 10 accused under IPC sections 304, 308, 114, 336, 337 and 338, according to a police official.

Earlier this month, Patel had moved the Morbi district and sessions court seeking protection against arrest. However, the court adjourned his anticipatory bail plea till February 1 after the prosecution sought time to file its response to the application.