Bombay High Court Dismisses Bhinde's 'Act of God' Plea in Fatal Hoarding Collapse Case

The Bombay High Court dismissed the plea of Bhavesh Bhinde, director of Ego Media Pvt Ltd, who argued that the Ghatkopar hoarding collapse was an 'act of God.' The court found no legal procedural issues in Bhinde's arrest. Bhinde sought to quash the FIR and claimed the incident was due to unforeseen weather conditions.

The Bombay High Court on Friday dismissed a plea filed by advertising firm director Bhavesh Bhinde, arrested in the Ghatkopar hoarding collapse case, which claimed the incident was an ''act of God'' and that his arrest was illegal.

A division bench of Justices Bharati Dangre and Manjusha Deshpande ruled there was no legal infirmity or impairment in the arrest procedures enforced on Bhinde.

''We find no legal infirmity. The ground of illegal arrest and detention by the petitioner is nothing but a faux. There is no impairment in the procedure. The petition is dismissed,'' the court asserted.

The bench emphasized that the procedural safeguards provided by the constitution, considering the liberty of the citizen as paramount, have not been violated in any form.

Bhinde sought to quash the FIR against him, contending that the May 13 incident was an ''act of God'' and that he should not be held responsible.

Charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, Bhinde is currently in judicial custody and had sought interim bail pending the hearing of his plea.

As the director of Ego Media Private Limited, Bhinde oversaw the erection of the giant hoarding that tragically collapsed, resulting in 17 deaths and injuries to over 70 individuals.

Bhinde's plea cited an India Meteorological Department (IMD) weather bulletin, claiming that unexpected severe dust storms with gusty winds on May 13 caused the hoarding to collapse, attributing it to an ''act of God.''

The plea further argued that the ''unexpected and unprecedented wind speeds of up to 96 kmph'' led to the hoarding's collapse, which neither he nor his company could be held accountable for.

According to his plea, the hoarding was legally erected with all necessary permissions.

(With inputs from agencies.)