The Supreme Court on Monday asked Gujarat High Court to review on a weekly basis the probe into the Morbi bridge collapse that claimed 141 lives.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud and Justice Hima Kohli passed the directive while considering a PIL filed by advocate Vishal Tiwari and a petition by Chavada Dilipbhai who lost two relatives in the mishap.
In his petition, Dilipbhai had highlighted that the “big fish” were not being arrested and FIR had not been registered against the local municipality.
The apex court directed the two petitioners to approach Gujarat High Court, which was already seized of the issue after taking suo motu cognisance of the tragedy.
“It is an enormous tragedy and this will require weekly monitoring to examine the award of contract, credentials of the party awarded the contract… We are of the view that the high court would also bring to bear its attention on other aspects of the matter which has been highlighted in the petitions…” CJI Chandrachud said in an order.
The bench made the observation after hearing senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for Dilipbhai, and solicitor-general Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Gujarat government.
Sankaranarayanan submitted that the liability should have been fixed on the local municipality but no FIR had been registered against it.
According to the senior counsel, only some low-rung officials of Ajanta-Oreva, the contractor for the bridge, had been arrested.
“There has to be an investigation independent of the state. The state authorities are part of the negligence,” the senior counsel said.
“This undermines the entire investigation. There is also the looming shadow of the elections which are scheduled in December… They are not catching the big fish — the people who are in the management of the Ajanta-Oreva company,” Sankarnarayanan added.
Mehta said the high court should be allowed to monitor the probe.
“The high court is going into minute details. I don’t have a reason to not have trust in the high court.”
