Morbi (Gujarat), January 31: Managing Director of Oreva Group, Jaysukh Patel, on Tuesday, surrendered before the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate in Morbi, in connection with the 2022 Morbi suspension bridge collapse case, that claimed the lives of 134 persons. He has been sent to judicial custody.
Earlier this month, the Gujarat Police filed a 1,262-page chargesheet in the Morbi bridge collapse case and named Jaysukh Patel as the prime accused. Earlier on January 24, a Gujarat court had issued a warrant for the arrest of Jaysukh Patel of the Oreva Group in relation to the October 30 bridge collapse in Morbi in which 134 persons were killed.
Ajanta Manufacturing Limited (Oreva Group) had secured the contract to renovate, repair and operate the British-era bridge on the Machchu river in Morbi.
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On Sunday, Chief Judicial Magistrate of Morbi, MJ Khan, issued an arrest warrant against Patel underSection 70 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
"The court issued an arrest warrant against Jaysukh Patel of Oreva Group, which had a contract for the renovation of the Morbi bridge. He has not been arrested for 70 days. No lookout notice issued yet," government prosecutor Sanjay Vora had told ANI.
Notably, Patel had moved to Morbi sessions court on January 20 for anticipatory bail in the case, while the hearing was adjourned till February 1 as the public prosecutor was not present.
Patel is not named as an accused in the FIR filed by the police in the case.
Nine persons, including four employees of Ajanta Manufacturing (Oreva Group), have been arrested so far in the case. They include two managers and an equal number of ticket booking clerks of the Oreva Group that was managing the British-era bridge.
As many as 134 persons lost their lives after a century-old suspension bridge fell into the Machchhu River of Morbi, Gujarat.
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- ANI