Following a heart wrenching incident in Morbi – where over 130 people met with a watery grave in Machchhu River when the cable bridge passing over the water body was collapsed all of a sudden on Sunday evening, the two local Bar Associations have unanimously passed a resolution deciding not to represent the accused in the court.
It is learnt that the Bar Associations from Morbi and Rajkot have asked its members not to entertain or represent the accused persons in the court facing charges in the Morbi incident. It is said that total 9 people have been booked under section 304 of IPC that include ticket collectors, contractor helming the repair works of the bridge, three security guards and a Manager of Yuva group helming the task to supervise the repair works of the bridge.
Four of them besides two managers of Yuva group and other two contractors, who have carried out repair works of the bridge, were sent to judicial custody till Saturday. The statement of the Bar Associations came after the accused persons made a deposition before the court in a peculiar manner to prove themselves innocent.
Deepak Parekh, one of the accused who was arrested in connection of the Morbi incident, recorded his statement in the court on Tuesday saying that the incident was an act of God.
During deposition of his accounts before the Chief Judicial Magistrate M.J.Khan, the accused said that the unfortunate incident happened because it is a ‘Bhagwan ki Icchcha’ (God’s willing). His deposition sparked an outrage among the local people as well as the lawyer community of the local courts.
Later, both the BAR associations unanimously passed a resolution seeking not to defend accused persons in the court by any of the members of both the associations. Meanwhile, the prosecutor informed the court that the cables of the bridge have not been changed following the floor work carried out over the suspension bridge.
