The Supreme Court on Tuesday signalled that it may examine building safety and construction violations across the country following the Satya Niketan PG building collapse incident, which claimed seven
lives.
A bench of Justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and R Mahadevan stated it was considering taking up the issue on a pan-India basis and may transfer the PIL pending before the Delhi High Court to itself.
“We already have something in mind. It has to be on a pan-India basis. We may get it (petition before Delhi High Court) transferred here. We will take it day after tomorrow,” the Court said, Bar and Bench reported.
The matter was brought before the bench by Court-appointed Amicus Curiae and Senior Advocate Ajit Kumar Sinha, who sought urgent directions for safety inspections and structural audits of PG accommodations, hostels and other student housing facilities in Delhi.
“In view of the recent tragic incident, it is a very serious issue. We have inspected, completed and the last inspection is today at 2:30pm,” Sinha told the Court.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta backed the possibility of transferring the Delhi High Court proceedings, describing the collapse as a “horrific incident” and pointing to the PIL already pending there.
Delhi Building Collapse
The Satya Niketan building, which was being operated as a boys’ PG near Delhi University’s South Campus, collapsed on September 6 while repair work was reportedly underway.
The Supreme Court had earlier raised concerns over unsafe and unauthorised structures in Delhi-NCR following the Saket building collapse and Malviya Nagar hotel fire. It had ordered time-bound surveys and warned that officials could face personal accountability for failing to address violations.
The Delhi High Court had separately ordered the MCD to conduct a high-level inquiry into the Satya Niketan collapse, including verification of construction permissions and identification of officials responsible for lapses. It had also flagged the proliferation of unsafe PGs and inadequate hostel facilities for students.
The PIL is now likely to be transferred to the Supreme Court.
