A court in Malavan on Friday extended the judicial custody of the two prime accused—sculptor Jaydeep Apte and structural consultant Chetan Patil—until September 24 in the case pertaining to the collapse of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue at Rajkot Fort on August 26.
Advocate Ganesh Sovani, who represents the sculptor, said the police presented Apte and Patil amid tight security in the court after their police custody ended on Friday.
The 40-foot-tall statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, constructed by Apte, crashed on August 26, ostensibly due to bad weather. This sparked national outrage that culminated in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s apology.
Both Apte and Patil went absconding after the collapse.
While Patil was arrested in Kolhapur on August 30, Apte surrendered before Thane Police late on September 4, and was brought to Malvan town in Sindhudurg to face the law.
Hours after the collapse on August 26, the Malvan Police lodged a case in the matter, invoking Bharatiya Nayaya Sanhita Sections 109, 110, 125, 318 and 3(5) on attempt to murder, culpable homicide not amounting to murder, conspiracy, cheating, etc.
Advocate Sovani, who has termed the charges ridiculous, illogical, wrong, and without application of mind, told IANS that he plans to challenge these stringent sections, as the police have alleged no injuries to anybody, including tourists.
Meanwhile, Patil is contemplating moving a bail application in the matter, though his lawyer was unavailable for comment.
The 28-foot-tall statue, mounted on a 12-foot-high pedestal in the seaside fort, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 4, 2023, coinciding with Navy Day celebrations.
Unfortunately, the stature tumbled in barely eight months, leading to shock, sadness, anger and disappointment among the people, and blame games in the political arena.
-IANS
Subscribe to our Telegram, WhatsApp, and Instagram channels and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.