The Supreme Court on Thursday came down heavily on authorities over rampant unauthorised construction in New Delhi and the NCR region, warning that it would fix personal responsibility on officials and pass stringent orders against those found responsible.
While hearing a matter related to illegal constructions, a bench of Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah and Justice Sheel Nagu referred to recent incidents of buildings fires and building collapse, including the Malviya Nagar fire, the Lucknow fire and the Saket building collapse, and said, “We hoped that the officials would take action, but nothing happened.”
Justice Amanullah recalled that in its May 20, 2026 order, the court had specifically highlighted rampant violations in Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar
and Sarojini Nagar, observing that such structures were inherently unsafe as they could not bear the excessive load placed on them, Bar and Bench reported.
The bench noted that several major incidents, including the Saket building collapse, the Malviya Nagar fire and the Lucknow fire, had occurred after those directions and said the widespread mishaps in the NCR and Lucknow were “well documented” in news reports.
Expressing strong displeasure over the conduct of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), the court observed that although notices had been issued to violators, authorities failed to take follow-up action.
Justice Amanullah remarked that despite High Court directions restraining construction, “rampant work was done in collusion with MCD.”
Warning of strict action, the remarked, “We will pass orders and it will pinch a lot of people. We’ll attach personal responsibility on the officers and will speak through black and white.”
To assess the situation on the ground, the Supreme Court directed the constitution of an inspection team comprising two senior professors from IIT Delhi and two draftsmen, who will be accompanied by officials of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).
The team has been asked to inspect the Saket, Lajpat Nagar and Sarojini Nagar areas and submit its findings.
Taking note of a media report that claimed 93 per cent of establishments in Gurugram had failed fire safety audits, the Supreme Court directed the personal appearance of the Vice Chairman of the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority along with a detailed report on concrete steps taken to address the issue.
Additionally, the Supreme Court also directed the Commissioner of the Lucknow Municipal Corporation to remain present before the court in connection with the matter.
Following submissions by the NDMC, the court directed that the inspection in Delhi would be confined to Malviya Nagar, Saket and Lajpat Nagar, while a similar exercise in Lucknow would cover Aliganj. The inspection will be coordinated by Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati.
The apex court warned that several municipalities had failed to file action-taken reports despite earlier directions and said it could initiate proceedings against such authorities.
Coming down heavily on the enforcement mechanism, the bench observed, “Only face-saving exercises are being done where only builders are being apprehended and not the officials who are in charge of areas where rampant violations have happened.”
The Supreme Court also directed the Tamil Nadu government to furnish details of every action taken against illegal constructions in the state.
In Patna, where a new municipal commissioner recently assumed office, the court ordered that the previous commissioner also be impleaded and directed both officers to submit details of the action taken during their respective tenures, the report added.
The top court’s order came after several major incidents– the Saket building collapse, the Malviya Nagar fire and the Lucknow coaching centre fire– took place in recent times.
A multi-storey building in Saidulajab, Saket, collapsed in May this year, killing six people. The building housed a coaching institute, cafés, and offices, while construction work was reportedly underway on its top floor at the time of the collapse. According to the police, the building owner was planning to construct two additional floors despite apparent violations.
At least 15 people were killed, and nine others sustained injuries after a massive fire engulfed a three-storey commercial building in Lucknow’s Aliganj area on June 22. At least 15 people were killed, and nine others sustained injuries after a massive fire engulfed a three-storey commercial building in Aliganj.
