Morbi Tragedy: 'Pay ₹10 Lakh Each To Kin Of Deceased, ₹2 Lakh Each To Injured As Interim Relief': Gujarat HC Directs M/S Ajanta

In the ongoing hearing pertaining to suo motu PIL plea initiated over the Morbi Bridge Collapse incident which took away the lives of 135 people in October 2022, the Gujarat High Court, in an interim order, directed M/s Ajanta to pay Rs. 10 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased/victims.

The bench of Chief Justice Sonia Gokani and Justice Sandeep N. Bhatt further directed M/s Ajanta, the company which managed the bridge before it collapsed, to pay a compensation of Rs. 2 lakh each to the injured.

The bench passed this order after rejecting the offer of MD of Ajanta Group (also known as Oreva Group) to pay Rs. 5 Lakh to the kin of deceased and Rs. 1 Lakh for the 56 injured persons. 

"This is just an attempt to provide relief to the victims as their lives have been completely disrupted. Nobody can compensate them, this is just an attempt," Chief Justice Sonia Gokani orally observed.

During the hearing in the matter conerning the issue of interim compensation to the victims of the incident, the state submittted before the Court that an amount of Rs. 8 lakh  has already been paid by State to the kin of the deceased and an amount of Rs. 2 lakh has been paid out of the PM Relief Fund.

The State also specified the schemes under which comepsantion is being provided to the children (who lost both their parents in the Morbi Bridge Collapse Tragedy) namely Palak Mata-Pita Yojana, Satyvadi Raja Harishchandra Marnotar Sahay Yojana and others. The Court took note of state's submission in its order.

In its order, the Court also recorded the submission made by the private contractor (M/s Ajanta) that it has decided to pay Rs 5 crore to all the 135 victims of the incident and the submission that it would look after the seven orphan children till they attain majority and complete their education and will also assit them in getting a job.

Further, the Court also took note of the decisions of the Supreme Court wherein it has been held that in such tragedies the private party must pay 55% of the compensation out of its own pocket and remaining 45% be paid from State funds.

Consequently, noting that even at the stage of grant of interim compensation, the tests laid down by the Supreme Court is required to be followed, the bench directed the M/s Ajanta to pay Rs. 10 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased/victims and Rs. 2 lakh each to the injured.

With this, the Court rejected the offer of the Private contractor of paying a sum of Rs 5 lakh to the kin of deceaed and Rs. 1 lakh of the injured. The Court ordered the company to deposit Rs. 5 crores and the additional amount within 4 weeks.