Gujarat HC orders Oreva Group to pay Rs 10 lakh ‘interim’ compensation to kin of victims of Morbi bridge collapse

• A division bench of Chief Justice Sonia Gokani and Justice Sandeep Bhatt gave this direction to the company.
• The court noted that the company has offered to take responsibility of children who were orphaned in the tragedy.
• Oreva Group, led by its MD Jaysukh Patel, was responsible for the operation and maintenance of the bridge.

The Gujarat High Court on Wednesday ordered watchmaker Oreva Group, the company that maintained the Morbi suspension bridge that collapsed and killed 135 people in October last year, to pay Rs 10 crore as "temporary" compensation to the relatives of each deceased and Rs 2 . thousand for each injured within four weeks.

A division bench of Chief Justice Sonia Gokani and Justice Sandeep Bhatt gave this direction to the company. A British-era suspension bridge on the Machchhu River in Morbi town collapsed on October 30 last year, killing 135 people and injuring 56. The company court ordered that an interim compensation of Rs 10 million and Rs 2 million be paid to the kin of each deceased and each injured person within four weeks.

On Tuesday, during the suo motu (alone) hearing that the PIL admitted last year after the tragedy, Ajanta Manufacturing Ltd (Oreva Group) offered to pay compensation of Rs 5 crore to the relatives of the deceased and Rs 1 crore to the injured person. In its interim order, the court said the central and state governments have so far jointly provided compensation of Rs 10 crore to the kin of each victim. “The company has offered to give Rs 5 crore to the relatives of those who lost their lives and Rs 1 crore to the injured. However, this is not enough. The company has to pay Rs 10 million to the relatives of the victims and Rs 2 million to the injured,” Justice Gokani said. Advocate KR Koshti, representing the victims, said several families lost their breadwinners and many children and women were left alone.

In its order, the court also noted that the company had offered to take responsibility for the seven children orphaned in the tragedy. "They (society) will pay for their education and hold their hand until they find a foothold in society," the court said. The court had previously made it clear that Oreva's offer of compensation "does not absolve it of any liability". The Oreva Group, led by its MD Jaysukh Patel, was responsible for the operation and maintenance of the bridge. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed by the state government pointed out several malpractices on the part of the firm.

The Morbi police have already arrested 10 accused, including Oreva Group MD Jaysukh Patel, under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 308 (attempt to commit culpable murder), 336 (act endangering human life) , 337 (causing injury to any person by rash or negligent act) and under 338 (causing grievous hurt by rash or negligent act).