Jaysukh Patel’s bail terms modified to let him enter Morbi

Rajkot: The promoter of Ajanta Oreva Group and prime accused in the Morbi bridge collapse case, Jaysukh Patel alias Jaysukh Bhalodiya, will be able to enter Morbi district a year after he was released on bail by the Supreme Court.
He applied for cancellation of three bail conditions set by the trial court. The Morbi district court partially allowed this application and modified the conditions, cancelling one of them.
The sessions judge, D P Mahida, cancelled condition No. 8, which stated, "The applicant/accused shall not enter into Morbi district till the trial is over without prior permission of the sessions judge except for attending court proceedings." The court rejected the plea to cancel two other conditions.
Bhalodiya, in his application submitted through his advocate A R Desai, asked the court to modify the bail conditions and cancel three — the surrender of his passport, not leaving the country without permission from the court and the prohibition of his entry into Morbi district.
He argued that he followed the order of the Gujarat high court and paid compensation to the victims' families. He said he had lived in Morbi for more than 40 years and his business offices are in Morbi. He suffered losses in business because his entry to the district was banned. He also submitted a report from the chartered accountant to support his plea.
He argued that he employed more than 50,000 people and his company's losses directly affect his employees and their families. He submitted that his own net worth is Rs 70 crore, and he required to go abroad for business purposes. He also owns movable and immovable assets with a book value of Rs 12 crore and market value of Rs 50 crore. His business turnover is Rs 500 crore, and this is why he will not flee to another country to evade trial.
He also argued that the chargesheet has been filed and after being released on bail, he did not try to meet witnesses, and the entire case is based on the FSL report.
The special public prosecutor in this case, Vijay Jani, expressed apprehensions that if the conditions of surrendering his passport and seeking permission to go abroad are cancelled, the accused may settle abroad to evade trial.
He argued that 135 people died and many were injured and if Bhalodiya was allowed to enter the district, it could create a law-and-order problem. Jani asked the court not to modify the bail conditions, apprehending that the accused may influence witnesses if allowed into Morbi district.
The court rejected the prosecution's argument on law-and-order issues and permitted him to enter Morbi. It did not modify the other bail conditions.
The Supreme Court granted Bhalodiya bail on March 22, 2024, subject to conditions set by the trial court. The trial court imposed eight conditions while releasing Bhalodiya on bail on March 26, 2024.
The British-era suspension bridge in Morbi collapsed on Oct 30, 2022, killing 135 people.