New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Gujarat High Court to periodically monitor the investigation and other aspects related to the Morbi bridge collapse incident. More than 140 people lost their lives in this incident. Chief Justice D.Y. A bench of Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and Justice Hima Kohli noted that a division bench headed by the Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court has already taken suo motu cognizance of the incident and passed several orders. For the time being, it will not hear petitions.
It, however, allowed public interest litigation (PIL) and another litigant who lost two of their kin in the accident to approach the high court with petitions seeking an independent CBI probe, and adequate compensation. The top court also said that the petitioners can approach it later. A British-era bridge over the Machchu river in Morbi collapsed on October 30, killing over 140 people, including 47 children.
The rescue operation has been called off five days after the accident. So the Chief Officer of Morbi Municipality Sandeep Singh Jala was suspended. The next day after the collapse of the bridge, nine accused were arrested, including two managers of Oreva, the company that got the contract to repair the bridge, two ticket clerks two contractors, and three security guards. In this case, the court had taken suo motu cognizance.
