{ SHIVAJI STATUE COLLAPSE } SEIZED PHONE Sculptor has right to access his devices: HC

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday directed the Malvan police to submit details of their last correspondence with the Regional Forensic Science Laboratory in Kolhapur in connection with the electronic devices seized from sculptor-contractor Jaydeep Apte after the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's statue at the Rajkot Fort collapsed on August 6, 2024.

- Karuna Nidhi

The 35-foot statue was erected was inaugurated by the Prime Minister in December 2023. Following its collapse on August 6, 2024, the Sindhudurg police, acting on the Public Works Department’s complaint, filed an FIR against Apte for negligence and other offences under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and the Damage to Public Property Act. Apte was on the run after this, and the police had formed seven teams to search for him. Ten days after the FIR registration, he surrendered before the Kalyan police on September 5, 2024.