Ghatkopar hoarding collapse: Court grants bail to contractor
The sessions court on Tuesday granted bail to Sagar Kumbhar, an accused in the Ghatkopar hoarding collapse that left 17 people dead and 74 injured. Kumbhar, a contractor associated with the erection of the hoarding, was arrested in Goa on June 8
MUMBAI: The sessions court on Tuesday granted bail to Sagar Kumbhar, an accused in the Ghatkopar hoarding collapse that left 17 people dead and 74 injured. Kumbhar, a contractor associated with the erection of the hoarding, was arrested in Goa by the Mumbai Crime Branch’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) on June 8.
According to the investigation officer, a director of Ego Media Pvt Ltd, Janhvi Marathe, and Sagar Kumhar, did not cooperate with the investigation. The order stated that a charge sheet was filed in the court of the additional chief metropolitan magistrate after receiving strong evidence against Kumbhar.
The investigation officer had requested for rejection of the bail application of Kumbhar on grounds stating the seriousness of the crime that resulted in the death of 17 people and left at least 74 others injured. The officer asked for a thorough investigation reflecting on the huge loss of life and property.
It was reported that the hoarding was erected in a faulty manner with inferior quality material. It was recorded in the Limca Book of Records to gain publicity and money. During investigation, the police found out that Marathe did not have a contract agreement for installing the hoardings, though her company paid around ₹1 crore to Kumbhar in the last four years for constructing the foundation and piling work of the four hoardings in Ghatkopar. One of the hoardings collapsed on May 13.
The police also found that a tender was not issued for the 120x120 feet hoarding in Pant Nagar, Ghatkopar East and GRP officials had permitted the hoarding illegally to Ego Media Pvt Ltd. However, BMC officials also did not take any action against the same.
After the collapse, the state government had suspended additional director general of police Quaiser Khalid, during whose tenure as commissioner of Government Railway Police (GRP), the permission was given to erect the 120X120 feet billboard in 2022, breaching the permissible limit of 40x40 feet, stipulated by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).