The Bombay High Court on Friday granted bail to sculptor Jaideep Apte, who was arrested in connection with the collapse of a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Malvan. The court ruled that the investigation in the case was complete and Apte’s continued custody was unnecessary.
Justice Nitin Borkar, who headed the bench, said that the charge of attempted murder could not be applied, as no injuries were reported in the incident.
The statue, located in the Rajkot Fort area of Malvan, collapsed on August 26, 2024, just eight months after its installation. The collapse sparked widespread outrage across Maharashtra. Investigations revealed that the statue's construction was of poor quality.
Police arrested two accused in connection with the incident. One of the accused, Chetan Patil, was granted bail by the High Court earlier. On Friday, the court also granted bail to Apte, the second accused.
During the court proceedings, Apte's lawyer argued that under the terms of the tender, Apte had taken a loan of Rs 40 lakh for materials required for the statue's construction. The defense questioned why Apte would deliberately cause the statue to collapse. The lawyer also pointed out that the complaint did not indicate any injuries resulting from the incident.
The state’s public works department had constituted an expert committee to investigate the tragedy. The committee’s confidential findings were submitted to the court by the prosecution, which sought to dismiss Apte’s bail plea. Despite this, the court granted bail, citing its observations on the charges and the lack of injuries.