New Delhi, 14 September (H.S.): The Delhi High Court has declined to entertain on an urgent basis a petition challenging the demolition of a building adjoining the collapsed PG accommodation in Delhi’s Satya Niketan area without first removing the debris.

A bench headed by Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya said, “File the petition; it will be listed automatically.”

The petitioner submitted that the building adjoining the collapsed PG had been demolished while debris from the PG was still lying at the site and that victims could potentially have been trapped beneath it. The High Court then asked the petitioner about the source of the information.

The court observed that before demolishing the building, the authorities would have conducted a technical audit. It reiterated that the petitioner should file the petition and that it would be listed automatically.

On September 7, the High Court had directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to conduct a high-level inquiry into the sudden collapse of a building in the Satya Niketan area of South Delhi. The court had also directed the Delhi government to expedite efforts to rescue students trapped in the accident.

The High Court had warned the Delhi government that it could not evade responsibility for the incident. While ordering a high-level inquiry by the MCD, the court had directed that responsibility for the accident be fixed and that it be informed about the action taken against officials found responsible.

The High Court had expressed concern over the recurrence of such incidents in Delhi every couple of years and questioned what the Delhi government was doing to prevent such accidents.

During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Central government, the MCD and the Delhi Police, had said that relief and rescue operations were being carried out at full speed and that every possible effort was being made.

He had also expressed concern over videos of the incident and people trapped under the debris being circulated on social media. He said there should be no sensationalisation of deaths and sought directions to prevent the circulation of such videos on social media. The court had then said it would consider the matter.

It is noteworthy that the “Hostel Daze Boys PG”, where the incident occurred, is located near the South Campus of Delhi University, an area that serves as a major student hub. The PG building had a basement and five floors. The incident occurred at around 1:30 p.m. on September 6, following which several students were trapped under the debris.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar