Gujarat High Court Calls for Action in Boat Tragedy Case

The Gujarat High Court has directed disciplinary action against two former Vadodara municipal commissioners due to a January 2024 boat capsizing incident that resulted in the deaths of 12 children and two teachers. The court observed that both officials were guilty of dereliction of duty and misuse of their official positions.

The Gujarat High Court has ordered disciplinary action against two former Vadodara municipal commissioners following a tragic boat capsizing incident in January 2024, which resulted in the deaths of 12 school children and two teachers. The court found that both officials had neglected their duties and misused their positions.

The division bench, led by Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal, highlighted that the company managing the lake, Kotia Projects, was not qualified for the contract. Judges cited a government report that implicated the former commissioners, H S Patel and Vinod Rao, in the botched tendering process.

According to the report, Patel failed to scrutinize the bid properly, while Rao's recommendation to the standing committee to accept Kotia Projects was deemed illegal. The court urged the Urban Development and Urban Housing Department to review the actions of the standing committee and general body of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation.

(With inputs from agencies.)