Bail pleas rejected for accused in Dharwad building collapse

Dharwad Building Collapse

An advocate who spoke on behalf of the complainants reportedly said that if the accused were granted bail, they could use their influence to intimidate witnesses.

TNM Staff

Two of the accused in the Dharwad building collapse which occurred in March, who had appealed for bail, have been denied their request. Gangappa Shintri and his partner, Basavaraj Nigadi, are the main accused in the incident. On Monday, a District Sessions court rejected the bail plea submitted by the accused. An advocate who was representing Gangappa and Basavaraj claimed that the duo had health issues which needed to be continuously monitored by medical experts and that they would comply with and follow any rules and restrictions set forth by the court, adding that they would cooperate with the investigating team as deemed necessary. However, the advocate who spoke on behalf of the complainants reportedly said that if the accused were granted bail, they could use their influence to intimidate witnesses. An under-construction shopping complex in Dharwad collapsed in March and resulted in several deaths and left more than 50 people injured. The building which was under construction was located in the region's Kumareshwara Nagar and collapsed on March 19 at around 3:40 pm. Rescue efforts went on for days as search teams had to go through the rubble to find people who were trapped underneath. Survivors were taken to the Civil hospital in Dharwad district. Rescue efforts were led by 10 ambulances, 5 earthmovers and over 20 fire officials. A team of NDRF officials was flown in from Lucknow to aid the rescue efforts. Gangadar Shintry, one of the accused, is the father-in-law of Congress leader Vinay Kulkarni and is one of the owners of the building. The owners had obtained a partial completion certificate from the Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation.  A case had been filed under section 304 (punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the IPC against the owners of the building.  

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