Morbi Bridge Collapse: Timeline, Causes and Aftermath
Morbi bridge collapse timeline: 135 deaths on 30 Oct 2022, cable and repair findings, the Oreva case, bail, compensation and court status to 2026.
Latest Story
The Morbi bridge collapse of 30 October 2022 killed 135 people when a British-era suspension bridge over the Machchhu River in Gujarat gave way four days after it reopened. This timeline runs newest first, separating what investigators have reported, what the prosecution alleges and what courts have actually decided, because no conviction has been reported and the trial’s status remains unconfirmed.
💡 Short Answer
On 30 October 2022 at about 6:40 pm the Morbi suspension bridge in Gujarat collapsed, killing 135 people (official figure). It had reopened on 26 October after six months of repairs by the operator, Oreva Group’s Ajanta Manufacturing. Preliminary findings cited a corroded cable, a heavier deck, no load test and overcrowding. Ten people were chargesheeted; none has been convicted, and the trial’s status is unconfirmed.
Morbi Bridge Collapse: Key Questions
The Morbi Case in Ten Points
- Bridge: a 19th-century suspension bridge about 230 m long and 1.25 m wide, run by a private operator under a 15-year contract signed 7 March 2022.
- Reopening: 26 October 2022 after six months of repairs; no load test was reported.
- Collapse: 30 October 2022; 135 dead (official), more than 50 of them children.
- Crowd: more than 500 people reported against a capacity of 125.
- Cable: 22 of 49 wires in the main cable were reported corroded, 27 recently broken.
- Arrests: nine staff and contractors on 31 October 2022; Patel surrendered on 31 January 2023.
- Chargesheet: about 1,262 pages naming ten accused under IPC 304 and other sections.
- Compensation: Rs 10 lakh per death ordered from Oreva on 22 February 2023; Rs 14.62 crore deposited.
- Courts: Supreme Court bail 22 March 2024; High Court refused a CBI probe in October 2024.
- Status: charges reported not framed as of October 2025; current status unconfirmed.
Morbi Bridge Collapse Timeline, Latest First
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Courts, probe findings or the disaster itself? Filter the Morbi bridge collapse timeline by theme.
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Status check: no confirmed report that the trial has begun Courts & accountability
A report published on 30 October 2025 said charges had still not been framed because of a Gujarat High Court stay, and that the trial was expected to begin in June 2026. A search for later coverage found no confirmation that charges were framed or that the trial started, and no ruling on the victims’ plea to prosecute the accused under IPC 302 (murder) instead of IPC 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder). Two petitions seeking to add the Morbi municipality and the then district collector as accused were reported as pending in the Supreme Court. Readers should check the Gujarat High Court case-status system and the Morbi sessions court before relying on this entry.
High Court reportedly defers Oreva MD’s plea on charge framing Courts & accountability
Reports in October 2025, including a Times of India item cited in the brief, said the Gujarat High Court deferred a hearing on a plea by Oreva Group managing director Jaysukh Patel challenging the framing of charges. The Morbi sessions court had earlier in 2025 rejected discharge applications by Patel and co-accused, and a High Court stay was reported to be holding up charge framing. This entry rests on those reports; the original page could not be opened for this update, so the exact hearing date and next date are not stated.
2025
Government proposes major penalty on former civic chief officer Courts & accountability
The Indian Express reported on 16 September 2025 that the state government told the Gujarat High Court a “major penalty” had been proposed against the then chief officer of Morbi municipality, Sandeepsinh Zala. The report says the proposal followed the Gujarat Public Service Commission’s agreement with the recommendation after disciplinary action began, and that it came in an affidavit by the Under Secretary of the Urban Development and Urban Housing Department, filed on 29 August in compliance with a High Court order of 18 July. The brief describes the penalty as a reduction in the time scale of pay; the part of the article that was readable without a subscription does not state the penalty, so that detail is unconfirmed. Zala was suspended in November 2022, and the SIT blamed him for deviating from procedure when the agreement was signed.
Main accused is felicitated at a Morbi event Courts & accountability
In mid-November 2024, about eight months after the Supreme Court released him on bail, Jaysukh Patel was felicitated at a Morbi event, where he was weighed against modak sweets, according to the account summarised on Wikipedia. Relatives of the victims criticised the event. The bail order barred him from entering Morbi during the trial; the entry does not allege any breach, and the account of the event is reported rather than tested in court.
2024
High Court declines to hand the probe to the CBI Courts & accountability
A division bench of the Gujarat High Court headed by Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal refused to transfer the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation, as victims’ relatives had asked. The bench said it could not examine the correctness of an investigation that was under way. The petitioners had argued that no civic official had been made an accused even though the special investigation team had held some of them responsible, and their lawyer also sought murder charges in the main FIR. The state said a chargesheet had been filed in 2023.
2024
Supreme Court orders Jaysukh Patel’s release on bail Courts & accountability
The Supreme Court ordered the release of Oreva Group managing director Jaysukh Patel on 22 March 2024 and directed the trial court to set conditions, one of which barred him from entering Morbi while the trial lasted. The Gujarat High Court had rejected his regular bail plea in December 2023, observing that, prima facie, he knew of the risk from poor maintenance yet allowed the bridge to stay open. By then several other accused had been granted bail by the High Court.
2023
SIT final report pins blame on Oreva management and civic officials Probe & findings
The five-member special investigation team submitted its “Final Report on Morbi Bridge Incident” to the Gujarat High Court, and the Hindustan Times, which saw a copy, reported that it blamed Oreva’s management, including managing director Jaysukh Patel and managers Dinesh Dave and Deepak Parekh, while noting that responsibility might be apportioned differently among them. It also faulted three office bearers of the municipality’s executive committee for deviating from procedure and said the chief officer signed the agreement. The report said Oreva sub-contracted the work to Dev Prakash Solutions, a “non-competent agency”, and that the bridge opened on 26 October without a fitness report or consultation with the municipality, with no limit on people or tickets. It put the cause as the breaking of the main cable on the Darbargarh side and estimated a safe load of 75 to 80 people if all wires were sound, a figure that would have fallen sharply because 22 of 49 wires were already broken by corrosion. Patel was then in Morbi jail.
Oreva deposits Rs 14.62 crore as interim compensation Courts & accountability
In April 2023 Oreva told the High Court that it had deposited the whole Rs 14.62 crore needed for the interim compensation ordered in February, in two equal instalments with the state legal services authority. The payment was interim and made in the High Court’s own public-interest proceedings; it did not end the criminal case. Later reports on the second anniversary said some victims still felt compensation and closure were incomplete.
2023
High Court orders Rs 10 lakh for each deceased victim’s family Courts & accountability
In its suo motu proceedings the Gujarat High Court directed Oreva Group to pay Rs 10 lakh as interim compensation to the family of each person killed and Rs 2 lakh to each injured person within four weeks. The company had offered less; reports differ on the sums. The court noted that the Centre and the state had together already paid Rs 10 lakh to the family of each victim, and made clear that paying compensation did not remove the managing director’s exposure to the criminal trial.
2023
Reuters reports preliminary findings: corroded cable, no load test Probe & findings
Reuters reported on preliminary findings of the five-member special investigation team. Of the 49 wires in the upstream main cable, 22 were corroded, suggesting they had broken earlier, while the other 27 had recently broken. The renovated deck had old suspenders welded to new ones and wooden planks replaced by aluminium sheets. The report said no load test or structural test was done before reopening, that main cables were not inspected or replaced, and that far more people were on the bridge than its capacity. It faulted Oreva for unrestricted access, weak security and outsourcing repairs to a non-competent agency, and said the civic chief officer had not acted as the law required when signing the agreement.
2023
Oreva MD Jaysukh Patel surrenders before a Morbi court Courts & accountability
Jaysukh Patel, the managing director of Oreva Group’s Ajanta Manufacturing, surrendered before the Morbi judicial magistrate on 31 January 2023, four days after the chargesheet named him. He was sent into the custody of the special investigation team until 8 February. Nine other accused had been arrested within days of the collapse; Patel was not among them and was not named in the first FIR.
2023
Police file a 1,262-page chargesheet against ten accused Courts & accountability
Gujarat police filed a chargesheet of about 1,262 pages naming ten accused, including Jaysukh Patel as the tenth, under IPC sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 308, 114, 336 and 337. The police case described failures in the repair, maintenance and reopening of the bridge. A chargesheet is the prosecution’s case; none of those named had been convicted. The brief also mentions a supplementary chargesheet in March 2023, which could not be verified and is not used here.
2022
Supreme Court sends the PILs to the High Court; High Court faults the civic body Courts & accountability
The Supreme Court declined to hear petitions seeking an independent probe and gave the petitioners liberty to approach the Gujarat High Court, which had already taken suo motu cognisance. It called the collapse an “enormous tragedy” and said the High Court could look at accountability of the maintenance agency and compensation for heirs. At a High Court hearing reported on 25 November 2022, the bench said the Morbi civic body was prima facie guilty of dereliction of duty, and the state said disciplinary proceedings against the chief officer had begun.
2022
Search and rescue called off, toll fixed at 135 Bridge & disaster
Search operations were called off on the night of 3 November 2022, five days after the collapse, after officials said all missing persons had been accounted for. The official toll was 135: the bodies of 134 people were recovered and one injured person died in hospital. NDRF, SDRF, fire brigade, Navy, Air Force and Army teams had taken part, and divers and sonar scanned the river. One team each from the fire brigade, SDRF and NDRF stayed at the site. Other counts, up to 141, appear in some sources; the official figure of 135 is used here.
2022
Prime Minister visits; civic chief officer suspended Bridge & disaster
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Morbi, met officials and the injured, and reviewed the rescue. The state announced Rs 4 lakh for the next of kin of each person who died and Rs 50,000 for each injured person. In the following days the state suspended Morbi municipality’s chief officer, Sandeepsinh Zala, so that the inquiry could proceed fairly; Reuters later reported his suspension as having taken place in November.
2022
FIR registered; nine arrested; SIT formed Probe & findings
Police registered a case under IPC sections 304, 308 and 114 against those responsible for the bridge’s upkeep and management. Nine people were arrested: two managers, two ticket clerks, two repair contractors and three security guards. The Gujarat government formed a five-member special investigation team to establish the cause. The Oreva managing director was not among those first arrested.
2022
The bridge collapses at about 6:40 pm: 135 dead Bridge & disaster
The suspension bridge gave way on the evening of Sunday 30 October 2022, during a holiday weekend, dropping people into the Machchhu River. Wikipedia reports more than 500 people on the structure against a post-repair capacity of 125, and a toll of at least 141, while the official figure used by the state and courts is 135. Rescuers from the SDRF, NDRF, fire brigade and the armed forces searched through the night. The collapse came four days after the bridge reopened.
2022
Bridge reopens to visitors after about six months Bridge & disaster
The bridge reopened to the public on 26 October 2022 after roughly six months of repairs. Wikipedia gives a new capacity of 125, up from a limit of 15 before the refurbishment. Initial reports said it had no fitness certificate from the municipality, and the chief officer said Oreva reopened it without notice, so no safety audit was done. The later investigation found that no load test had been carried out before reopening.
2022
Municipality signs a 15-year contract with Ajanta Manufacturing Bridge & disaster
On 7 March 2022 Morbi municipality signed a 15-year contract with Ajanta Manufacturing Private Limited, Oreva Group’s flagship company, to operate and maintain the bridge. Investigators later questioned how the agreement was signed and what oversight followed; the preliminary findings said the chief officer had not acted as the law required. Repairs began and the bridge was closed for about six months.
century
A British-era suspension bridge becomes Morbi’s landmark Bridge & disaster
The Jhulto Pul, or hanging bridge, was built over the Machchhu River in the 19th century during British rule. Local accounts date it to the 1880s and credit Maharaja Waghji Thakore; sources vary on the exact year; the Hindustan Times SIT report says 1887, which matches the brief, while Wikipedia says locals date it to the 1880s. It was about 230 metres long and 1.25 metres wide, with a limit of 15 people before the 2022 refurbishment, and it became a popular local attraction.
Capacity Versus the Crowd
What Investigators Reported About the Cable
The Case at a Glance
Dates and figures as reported; the legal outcome is separate from allegations and findings.
| Date | Event | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| 7 Mar 2022 | Contract signed | 15-year operation and maintenance agreement with Ajanta Manufacturing (Oreva Group) |
| 26 Oct 2022 | Bridge reopens | After about six months of repairs; capacity reported as 125 |
| 30 Oct 2022 | Collapse | About 6:40 pm; 135 dead (official); more than 500 on the bridge (reported) |
| 31 Oct 2022 | FIR and arrests | Nine arrested; IPC 304, 308, 114; five-member SIT formed |
| 3 Nov 2022 | Search ends | Toll fixed at 135; 134 bodies recovered, one died in hospital |
| 27 Jan 2023 | Chargesheet | About 1,262 pages; ten accused; Patel named tenth |
| 31 Jan 2023 | Patel surrenders | In custody until 8 Feb 2023 |
| 20-22 Feb 2023 | Findings and compensation | Reuters reports SIT findings; HC orders Rs 10 lakh per deceased (interim) |
| Apr 2023 | Interim payment | Oreva deposits Rs 14.62 crore |
| Dec 2023 / 22 Mar 2024 | Bail | High Court rejects Patel bail; Supreme Court orders release |
| 17 Oct 2024 | CBI plea refused | High Court declines to transfer the investigation |
| 2025 | Charges stalled | Discharge pleas rejected; High Court stay holds up charge framing (reported) |
Reading the Legal Terms
| Term | Meaning | Why it matters here |
|---|---|---|
| FIR | First Information Report, the police record that starts a criminal case | Filed 31 Oct 2022 under IPC 304, 308, 114 |
| Chargesheet | The police report setting out evidence and the accused after investigation | Filed 27 Jan 2023 against ten people; not a finding of guilt |
| IPC 304 | Culpable homicide not amounting to murder | The section used; maximum life imprisonment per the prosecutor |
| IPC 302 | Murder | Victims want this added; no ruling reported |
| Discharge application | A plea that the evidence does not justify framing charges | Rejected for Patel and co-accused in 2025 (reported) |
| Framing of charges | The court formally states the offences the accused will face | Reported not done as of Oct 2025 because of a High Court stay |
| Suo motu PIL | A public-interest case a court starts on its own | The Gujarat High Court handles compensation and oversight through one |
| SIT | Special investigation team | Five members; formed on 31 Oct 2022 |
What Caused the Morbi Bridge Collapse?
The precise contribution of each factor is for the investigation and the courts. The preliminary findings reported by Reuters, and later reports on the SIT, point to several linked concerns.
The cable. The upstream main cable was reported broken on one side, with 22 of 49 wires corroded and 27 recently broken. Load-bearing cables carry the deck and everyone on it.
The repair. The renovated deck was reported to have old suspenders welded to new ones and aluminium sheets in place of wooden planks. The main cables and suspenders were reported not inspected or replaced, and the repair was reportedly outsourced to a non-competent agency.
No load test. The report said no load or structural test was done before reopening. A test is meant to show a structure can carry its intended load.
The crowd. The bridge was crowded on a holiday weekend, reportedly far above its post-repair capacity. Crowding should not be treated as the sole explanation without the engineering evidence.
Oversight. The owner, civic body, operator, contractor and inspectors each had a part. Investigators said the civic chief officer had not acted as the law required in signing the agreement, and the High Court said the civic body was prima facie guilty of dereliction of duty.
Who Has Been Held Responsible?
Categories examined in the case, not final findings of guilt.
Ajanta Manufacturing (Oreva Group)
Held the 15-year operation and maintenance contract; its managers are accused in the criminal case.
Morbi municipality
Signed the contract; the High Court said it was prima facie guilty of dereliction in Nov 2022.
Chief officer Sandeepsinh Zala
Suspended in Nov 2022; investigators said he had not acted as the law required.
Jaysukh Patel and others
Ten named in the chargesheet; none convicted. Patel is on Supreme Court bail since Mar 2024.
Five-member SIT
Formed 31 Oct 2022; preliminary findings reported Feb 2023.
Gujarat High Court and Supreme Court
The High Court runs a suo motu PIL on relief and oversight; the Supreme Court sent petitions there in Nov 2022.
NDRF, SDRF, fire brigade and armed forces
Searched the river for five days until 3 Nov 2022.
Families and survivors
Seek stronger charges, a CBI probe and fuller compensation, according to reports.
Aftermath: Compensation, Courts and Accountability
Compensation. The state paid Rs 4 lakh per death and Rs 50,000 per injured person; the Centre and state had together paid Rs 10 lakh per victim by February 2023, when the High Court ordered a further Rs 10 lakh per death and Rs 2 lakh per injured from Oreva. Oreva deposited Rs 14.62 crore in April 2023.
Criminal case. Police filed a chargesheet in January 2023. Bail was granted to several accused, including Patel by the Supreme Court in March 2024. Victims have sought a murder charge under IPC 302 and a CBI inquiry; the High Court declined the CBI request in October 2024.
Civic accountability. The chief officer was suspended in November 2022, and a penalty was reported proposed in September 2025. The High Court called the civic body prima facie guilty of dereliction in November 2022.
Where it stands. The latest reports found say charge framing was held up by a High Court stay in 2025 and that a trial was expected in June 2026. That could not be confirmed, so readers should check the court records before treating any date here as current.
Six Lessons for India’s Infrastructure Safety
1. Independent safety certification matters. A bridge should not reopen merely because repair work has finished; competent technical personnel must assess it.
2. Maintenance must reach structural parts. Cosmetic repairs cannot substitute for inspection of cables, joints, anchors and other load-bearing components.
3. Occupancy limits must be enforceable. Operators need a clear limit, controlled access and the authority to stop entry when the structure is full.
4. Contracts need named accountability. Agreements should say who inspects, who repairs, who tests and who responds in an emergency.
5. Oversight must be documented. Inspection reports, certificates and approvals should be recorded and open to review.
6. Investigations must lead to outcomes. Accountability includes criminal proceedings where warranted, administrative consequences, compensation and steps to prevent recurrence.
The Popular Story vs the Record
Short versions of the story blur several details.
| Popular version | What the record shows |
|---|---|
| The bridge was built in 1887 | The Hindustan Times SIT report says 1887; Wikipedia says locals date it to the 1880s, so the exact year is not settled |
| The Oreva Group owned the bridge | It held a 15-year operation and maintenance contract with Morbi municipality, signed 7 Mar 2022 |
| The death toll was 141 | The official figure is 135; some sources report at least 141 |
| Overcrowding alone caused the collapse | The reported findings also cite a corroded cable, a heavier deck and no load test; courts have not issued a final cause |
| The managing director was arrested first | Nine staff and contractors were arrested on 31 Oct 2022; Patel surrendered on 31 Jan 2023 |
| The accused have been convicted | No conviction is reported; charges had not been framed as of the latest reports found |
| Search ended on 1 November | Search and rescue was called off on the night of 3 Nov 2022 |
The Case in Numbers
| Measure | Figure | Source and caveat |
|---|---|---|
| Official deaths | 135 | State and courts; some sources say at least 141 |
| Children among the dead | More than 50 | Tribune; other counts of 47 or 56 appear in earlier reports |
| People rescued | About 170 | Tribune; other outlets differ |
| Bridge length and width | About 230 m by 1.25 m | Wikipedia; Reuters gives 233 m |
| Days from reopening to collapse | 4 | 26 to 30 Oct 2022 |
| Chargesheet | About 1,262 pages, ten accused | Reports, Jan 2023 |
| Interim compensation ordered | Rs 10 lakh per death, Rs 2 lakh per injured | Gujarat High Court, 22 Feb 2023 |
| Total deposited by Oreva | Rs 14.62 crore | Reported Apr 2023 |
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⚠️ Editorial Note
This page separates investigation findings, prosecution allegations and procedural court developments from final findings of guilt. Several details in the original brief were adjusted: the bridge’s year of construction is shown as 1887 per Hindustan Times with the local 1880s dating noted; rescue ended on 3 November 2022 and the Prime Minister’s visit was on 1 November, so the brief’s order was corrected; the SIT’s preliminary findings (Reuters, February 2023) and its later report to the High Court are kept distinct; the brief did not mention the Supreme Court’s March 2024 bail order or the High Court’s October 2024 refusal of a CBI probe, which are added, and its supplementary chargesheet of March 2023 could not be verified and is omitted. The September 2025 civic-officer penalty report (Indian Express, 16 September 2025) and the October 2023 SIT final report (Hindustan Times) were read directly in a browser; the exact penalty is behind a paywall and unconfirmed. The October 2025 High Court deferral comes from a Times of India report that could not be opened and was not found elsewhere. The death toll of 135 is the official figure; some sources report at least 141. The trial’s status after October 2025 could not be confirmed. Check the Gujarat High Court case-status system for current orders.
Sources & further reading
Every dated entry above was checked against these references. Last reviewed 21 October 2026.
- 2022 Morbi bridge collapse
- Broken wires, faulty renovation caused India bridge mishap: probe (Reuters, 20 Feb 2023)
- Morbi bridge collapse: chargesheet names Jaysukh Patel (27 Jan 2023)
- Charge sheet filed in Morbi bridge collapse case, Jaysukh Patel named 10th accused
- Oreva MD Jaysukh Patel surrenders before court
- Search operations called off at Morbi bridge collapse site
- SC: Morbi bridge collapse an 'enormous tragedy'
- Gujarat High Court orders Rs 10 lakh interim compensation per deceased (22 Feb 2023)
- Oreva Group deposits Rs 14.62 crore for interim compensation
- SIT report: lapses by Oreva firm led to bridge collapse (Oct 2023)
- Gujarat HC rejects bail plea of Oreva Group CMD Patel (Dec 2023)
- Gujarat High Court rejects demand for CBI probe (Oct 2024)
- Morbi bridge collapse: three years later, victims' kin wait for justice (30 Oct 2025)
- Gujarat High Court case status and orders