Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Nov 1: A lawyer filed a petition with the Supreme Court on Monday asking for the creation of a judicial commission to look into the Morbi Bridge collapse in Gujarat, which will be presided over by a retired Supreme Court judge.
Advocate Vishal Tiwari said in the public interest litigation (PIL) that the disaster that caused the collapse of the Morbi bridge and resulted in 134 fatalities showed the government’s complete failure and carelessness.
“From past decade various incidents have taken place in our country wherein due to the mismanagement, lapse in duty, negligent maintenance activities, there has been cases of huge public casualties which could have been avoided”, said the plea.
The matter was mentioned before Chief Justice of India (CJI) UU Lalit on Tuesday.
“You are very quick. What are your prayers,” the CJI asked.
“I am seeking a judicial enquiry commission,” Tiwari responded.
The CJI then directed that the matter be listed on November 14.
Notably, a century-old suspension bridge that was a popular tourist destination collapsed on Sunday night because it was packed with people. Just a few days ago, after seven months of repairs by a private company, it was reopened to the public.
The petitioner emphasised that despite being aware that the bridge constituted a danger to life, it was opened on October 26 following repairs and maintenance, according to the First Information Report (FIR).
It was also argued that the bridge had more than 500 persons on it at the time of collapse, exceeding the permitted maximum.
The private operator did not get a fitness certificate before restoring the bridge, and there was no administrative oversight by government officials, according to the plea.
