New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear on November 14, a PIL demanding a court-monitored judicial inquiry into the Morbi Bridge collapse tragedy in Gujarat that claimed over 140 lives.
A bench headed by Chief Justice UU Lalit said: "We will hear your (Lawyer Vishal Tiwari,) petition on November 14."
The PIL was filed by Tiwari seeking a Supreme Court-ordered probe headed by a retired SC judge.
When Tiwari mentioned the matter for an urgent hearing, the CJI said, "You are very quick, Sir," and added that we will hear your petition on November 14, Monday.
Supreme Court agrees to hear on Nov 14 a PIL seeking direction to immediately appoint a judicial commission under the supervision of retired top court judge to initiate probe into the #MorbiBridgeCollapse
— Dynamite News (@DynamiteNews_) November 1, 2022
The public interest litigation has also sought detailed safety audit of all old public structures across country.
Tiwari filed the PIL on Monday, a day after the incident, and also demanded formation of permanent disaster probe team in the states which could promptly attend to such tragedies.
It sought direction to the Union of India (UOI) and the State Governments to form committee to survey and conduct assessment risk of old and risky monuments, bridges to ensure environmental viability and safety.
It pleaded for a direction to the State Governments to Constitute in their respective States -- Construction Incident Investigation Department (CIID) -- so that prompt investigation could be initiated whenever such incidents occur.
It also sought that the CIID shall also have duty to access and inquire about the quality and safety of any public construction taking place.
As per reports over 140 people have lost their lives and many are still missing after the British-era suspension bridge in Morbi town of Saurashtra region in Gujarat came crashing down on Sunday evening. (Agencies)
