JOIN USGujarat HC takes suo motu cognisance of Morbi bridge collapse, seeks status report in a week
Taking suo motu cognisance after 135 people were killed in Morbi's bridge collapse, the Gujarat High Court on Monday issued a notice to the state government and its agencies, asking them to respond and sought a status report from the state government within a week.
The division bench of Chief Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice Ashutosh Shastri court also sought status report from the chief secretary
"Its' hurting to see we are starting the New Year with this. We want some action from your end. We don't know whether you have taken it or not," chief justice Kumar said while issuing notices. Advocate General, Kamal Trivedi, present in the court accepted the notices and said that "a couple of steps have already been taken."
The bench sought a status report from the Chief Secretary and Home department by Monday, next week. It ordered to implead the Chief Secretary, Secretary, Home department, Municipality Commissioner, Urban Development Authority, Morbi collector and the state Human Rights Commission as party respondents in the petition.
The bench said that it took suo motu cognisance based on a news report dated October 31 and "directed the registry to register the PIL based on the report, reflecting the untimely death of 135 due to the breakdown of the suspension bridge."
The PIL will be next heard on November 14.
On October 30, a British-era pedestrian suspension bridge collapsed in Gujarat's Morbi town resulting in the death of 135 people in the Machchu river. So far, the police have arrested nine persons including two managers of clock-making firm "Oreva". The chief officer of Morbi municipality, Sandeepsinh Zala, has also been suspended.