Gujarat High Court on Tuesday quizzed the state government on the maintenance and operation of the suspension bridge in Morbi town that collapsed on October 30, killing 135 people.

It asked the government how “largesse” was given to an individual without floating a tender.

The Ahmedabad-based Oreva group had been maintaining and managing the British-era suspension bridge on the Machchhu river.

The high court, which took up the case on its own as a public interest litigation, asked the state government whether a 2008 memorandum of understanding (MoU) and a 2022 agreement with Ajanta Manufacturing Private Ltd (Oreva group) imposed any conditions regarding fitness certification of the bridge.

“This (2008) agreement with Ajanta is a one-and-aquarter-page agreement, absolutely without any conditions. This agreement is by way of an understanding, the largesse of the state for 10 years and no tenders floated, no expression of interest,” a division bench of Chief Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice Ashutosh Shastri observed.

“After that term was over on June 15, 2017, what steps were taken by the state government or the Morbi municipality to float a tender? How come no expression of interest was tendered, and how the largesse of the state was given to an individual without floating a tender...? Why you have still not superseded the municipality?” the court asked.

The court observed that even after the term of Ajanta ended on June 15, 2017, the corporate entity continued to manage the bridge.