The Bombay High Court granted bail on Thursday to Chetan Patil, the structural consultant associated with the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue project in Malvan, Sindhudurg. The statue, standing 35 feet tall, collapsed in August 2024, less than nine months after being inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during Navy Day celebrations. Justice AS Kilor, presiding over the case, ruled that Patil could not be held accountable as he had not designed the statue’s structure. The court clarified that Patil’s involvement was limited to providing a structural stability report for the pedestal, which remained intact after the incident. Patil and sculptor Jaydeep Apte, whose firm M/s Artistry was contracted for the project, were arrested following the collapse. Apte’s bail plea is scheduled for a hearing on November 25.
PWD Warnings
The FIR filed by the Malvan police revealed that the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai commissioned the statue and awarded the construction contract to Apte’s firm. It also stated that Patil had supervised the construction of both the statue and its base. According to reports, the local Public Works Department (PWD) identified rust on the statue during an inspection six days before the collapse and notified Apte’s company about residents’ concerns over its stability. Despite these warnings, the statue collapsed, raising questions about the project’s execution and maintenance. The incident has fueled public outrage, particularly as the Rajkot Fort, where the statue stood, is a popular tourist site.
Technical Failures
The statue’s collapse has become a flashpoint ahead of the Maharashtra state assembly elections, with the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi accusing the ruling Mahayuti alliance of corruption and negligence. In response, the state government, which spent ₹2.44 crore on the project, formed two committees. A panel led by Additional Chief Secretary (PWD) Manisha Patankar Mhaiskar is exploring ways to reconstruct the statue, while a technical committee chaired by Commodore Pawan Dhingra has investigated the reasons for the collapse. The technical committee’s report, submitted in September, pointed to multiple issues, including rust, poor design, substandard welding, and lack of maintenance. It concluded that the statue’s frame was structurally inadequate to bear its weight. Efforts are now focused on addressing these shortcomings and restoring the statue to its intended glory.
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