BMC engineer who declared Aftab Manzil fit, refused bail

Bombay High Court today refused to grant anticipatory bail to a junior engineer of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) who had certified as fit the Altaf Manzil building, part of which collapsed claiming 11 lives here.
Justice R P Sondur-Baldota dismissed the anticipatory bail plea filed by Pravin Rane.
Rane had approached the High Court after the sessions court rejected his application. Rane and several others have been booked by the police after a portion of the Aftab Manzil building in suburban Mahim collapsed on June 10, killing 11 people.
Additional public prosecutor Anuradha Mane opposed the anticipatory bail, saying Rane had given a false report about the building in 2008. "He gave the false report after visiting and inspecting the building," Mane said.

Rane had inspected the building in November 2008 and submitted a report saying no additional alterations were carried out in the ground floor of the building.
The inspection was carried out following a complaint by advocate Rizwan Merchant on November 10, 2008 pointing out illegal alterations being made in the ground floor of the building.
Rane, in his application, sought the high court to consider the report submitted by the technical committee which was prepared after the collapse of the building. Rane's lawyer A R Pande argued the technical committee report has said no alterations were done to the foundation.

Justice Sondur-Baldota, however, did not find merits in the arguments and dismissed the bail plea.