Bombay High Court Grants Bail to Sculptor Jaydeep Apte in Shivaji Statue Collapse Incident

The Bombay High Court has granted bail to Jaydeep Apte, the sculptor responsible for the 28-foot statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Malvan. This statue collapsed in August last year. Justice N R Borkar approved Apte's bail with a personal bond of Rs 25,000. Apte argued that strong winds caused the statue to fall.

The statue, unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 4, 2023, at Rajkot Fort in Malvan, fell on August 26 last year. It stood on a 12-foot pedestal and cost Rs 2.44 crore. Advocate Ganesh Sovani, representing Apte, stated that no injuries occurred during the incident and further detention was unnecessary.

Legal Proceedings and Arguments

An FIR was filed based on a complaint from Public Works Department (PWD) personnel under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Samhita and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act. Apte, who owns M/s Artistry, claimed he constructed the bronze statue following a work order from the Naval Dockyard dated September 8, 2023.

Apte's plea highlighted that the Naval Dockyard never reported any artistic flaws or deficiencies in his work. He also noted that the FIR was lodged within nine hours of the incident by PWD personnel lacking technical expertise in metallurgy.

Previous Bail Grant

Advocate Sovani informed the court that Chetan Patil, a co-accused in the case, received bail in November last year. This information was presented to support Apte's bail application.

The court's decision to grant bail reflects consideration of factors such as lack of injuries and previous bail grants to co-accused individuals. The case continues to unfold as legal proceedings progress.