Gujarat High Court Grants Bail to Accused in Vadodara Boat Capsize Case

The Gujarat High Court has granted bail to five accused in the January boat accident in Vadodara's Harni lake, which resulted in the deaths of 14 people. The court also questioned the Vadodara Municipal Corporation’s handling of the operational contract awarded to Kotya Projects.

The Gujarat High Court on Monday granted regular bail to five accused in the January boat capsize incident in Gujarat's Vadodara, in which 12 students and two teachers from a private school lost their lives.

The tragic incident occurred on January 18 at Harni lake, leading to a case against 16 individuals. Justice MR Mengdey's court granted bail to accused Paresh Shah, Shantilal Solanki, Nilesh Jain, Vatsal Shah, and Nayan Gohil, among others named in the FIR.

Paresh Shah, the promoter of Kotiya Projects, subcontracted Nilesh Jain from Dolphin Entertainment for the lakefront management. The HC criticized the Vadodara Municipal Corporation during hearings for its management and operational contract methods for Harni Motnath Lake under a public-private partnership (PPP). The FIR invoked charges under the IPC for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and other offenses.

(With inputs from agencies.)