The Gujarat High Court granted bail to five men involved in the boat capsize incident that occurred in a Vadodara lake earlier this January.

A single judge bench of Justice M R Mengdey while pronouncing the order said, "All applications are allowed". The five men who were granted bail–Pareshbhai Shah, Shantilal Solanki, Nilesh Jain, Vatsal Shah, Nayan Gohil–are among the various accused booked in the matter.

On January 18, 2024, a tragic incident occurred at Harni Lake when a boat capsized during a school picnic, leading to the deaths of 12 children and two teachers. The Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) had contracted a private firm, Kotia Projects, for the development of the lake project.

According to reports, Paresh and Vatsal Shah are partners in Kotia Projects, the firm responsible for the lake development. Nilesh, the owner of Dolphin Entertainment, was reportedly awarded a subcontract for the project by Kotia Projects, while Gohil was identified as the boatman involved in the incident.

The accused have been booked various provisions of the IPC including Sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 308 (attempt to culpable homicide), 337 (rash or negligent act endangering human life) and 114 (abettor present when crime committed).