Court says iron was used, not stainless steel in Shivaji statue that collapsed; denies bail to structural consultant
The statue was inaugurated on December 4, 2023 by the coast at Rajkot fort in Malvan. It collapsed on August 26, after which Patil and sculptor of the statue Jaydeep Apte were arrested.
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Shivaji statue was collapsed on August 26 (File Photo)
Observing that there is prima facie evidence that iron was used instead of stainless steel for the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at Raigad fort in Malvan that collapsed in August, a Sindhudurg court in a recent order rejected bail to a structural consultant arrested in the case. Chetan Patil was arrested in connection with the collapse of the 35-foot statue of the warrior king.
“It is… the case of the prosecution that, instead of using stainless-steel, iron has been used, though the statue was to be erected beside the seashore and when there was strong possibility of formation of rust on the iron, causing damage to the structure/statue. Thus, at this stage, the material on record prima-facie shows, the involvement of the applicant in the commission of offence. There is no reason to disbelieve the prosecution,” the sessions judge in Sindhudurg said in the order passed on September 19, made available on September 27.
The statue was inaugurated on December 4, 2023 by the coast at Rajkot fort in Malvan. It collapsed on August 26, after which Patil and sculptor of the statue Jaydeep Apte were arrested.
Patil had submitted that he works as an assistant professor and has nothing to do with the offence. It was submitted to the court that at the request of a friend, he had only given a stability report on WhatsApp, which was only for the platform or the pedestal of the statue and not the statue itself.
Adding that there was nothing to show that he had been assigned any work or been paid for the erection of the statue, Patil said, there was nothing to show that the pedestal was built of low quality or its design was defective.
Opposing his bail, police claimed that the construction was low quality, leading to the collapse of the statue. It was further claimed that the accused ignored the fact that the statue would be prone to rust given its proximity to the sea. It was also claimed that the pedestal was the base of the statue and the incident took place due to rust forming on the iron. Police also said that the probe is still ongoing.
The court said that the contention of the accused that he was not appointed as a structural consultant was not acceptable at this stage. “…there was no reason for the applicant to prepare the said report, when it is his stand that, he was at no point of time legally appointed by the co-accused (Apte). No structural consultant would prepare such report without being engaged by the contractor,” the court said. The court also considered that the investigation was in progress.
Apte’s bail plea is also pending before the court.
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