The Bombay High Court granted bail to consultant Chetan Patil on Thursday in connection with the collapse of a 35-foot statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at the Rajkot fort in Malvan, Sindhudurg district, on August 26.
The statue, unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Navy Day, fell nearly nine months later, prompting an investigation into the incident.
Patil was arrested on August 30 in Kolhapur, following the collapse. He was accused of being responsible for the incident, but the court ruled that no evidence supported this claim.
Justice A.S. Kilor, in a single-judge bench, stated that Patil had not been appointed as the structural designer of the statue and, therefore, could not be implicated in the collapse.
The judge also noted that Patil had only submitted a report on the structural stability of the statue’s pedestal, which remained intact after the statue fell.
Patil’s co-accused, Jaydeep Apte, who was the sculptor and contractor of the statue, was also arrested in connection with the collapse. The Bombay High Court mentioned that Apte’s bail plea would be heard on November 25.
The Sindhudurg police filed an FIR under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, charging both Patil and Apte with negligence and other offenses following the statue’s fall. Patil and Apte had previously approached the court seeking bail after their applications were rejected by the sessions court.
This development marks a significant step in the legal proceedings surrounding the collapse of a high-profile project, which continues to draw attention from both the public and authorities.
