The Supreme Court said on Monday that the Morbi bridge collapse incident would require weekly monitoring and asked the Gujarat High Court to hold periodical hearings. A bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justice Hima Kohli was hearing two petitions seeking an investigation into criminal wrongdoing in the Morbi tragedy.
The bench called it an ‘enormous tragedy’ and said that this requires a weekly monitoring to see the award of contract, credentials of the party awarded the contract, and attribution of responsibility for the guilty. The bench said orally that the high court has taken charge or else it would have issued a notice.
The petitions in the apex court sought probe into criminal wrongdoing, need to affix responsibility against officials of the municipality, and to hold the agency responsible for the maintenance of the bridge accountable.
“As many as 140 have died out of which 47 are children. several aspects of matter would require periodical references and so that HC is apprised of antecedent facts…We request High Court to take this up on periodical basis,” the court said, according to Bar and Bench.
Senior Counsel Gopal Sankaranarayanan who appeared for victims’ kin said that an investigation independent of the state is required to bring out the truth. He also said that it is all the more important to catch the people responsible as elections are looming ahead.
The counsel argued that the compensation given to these families was not adequate. He said that Ra 10-15 crore are given to sportsmen but nothing has been given here.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said that since the Gujarat High Court has taken up a case on the incident, the apex court does not need to entertain petitions on the matter. The Supreme Court allowed petitioners to approach the High Court and intervene in the pending plea.
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