Gujarat HC likely to hear suo motu PIL on Morbi bridge collapse tragedy on Nov 15

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court is likely to hear the suo motu PIL on the Morbi bridge tragedy on Tuesday, as the matter was not taken up on Monday because of the unavailability of the bench headed by Chief Justice Aravind Kumar.

The division bench of Chief Justice Kumar and Justice Ashutosh Shastri had issued notices to the state government and the state human rights commission on November 7 on the October 30 tragedy and sought a status report from the government.

As per the High Court’s website, November 15 is the next listing date for the case.

The collapse of the British-era suspension bridge on the Machchhu river in Morbi on October 30 claimed 135 lives including women and children.

The HC said on November 7 that it had taken suo motu (on its own) cognisance of a news report on the bridge collapse tragedy and registered it as a PIL (Public Interest Litigation).

It directed the registry to implead the Gujarat government, represented by its chief secretary, state home department, commissioner of municipalities, Morbi municipality, district collector and State Human Rights Commission.

“Respondents 1 and 2 (chief secretary and home secretary) shall file a status report by next Monday. The State Human Rights Commission shall file a report in this regard by the next date of hearing,” the court had said in its order.

Police on October 31 arrested nine persons, including four from the Oreva group that was managing the Morbi suspension bridge, and filed a case against firms tasked with the maintenance and operation of the structure.