Delhi HC orders PG audit after Satya Niketan collapse
Seven dead. The court told MCD to probe the building and inspect every PG under its watch within a week.
A five-storey paying guest building in Satya Niketan, near Delhi University's South Campus, collapsed on Sunday afternoon. The death toll has risen to seven. Twelve people have been pulled out alive. NDRF, Delhi Fire Service, and Delhi Police kept working through the debris on Monday.
The Delhi High Court on Monday directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to run a high-level inquiry into whether the building had valid permissions. It also ordered a comprehensive audit of all PG accommodations under MCD's jurisdiction within one week, India Today and Hindustan Times reported.
Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya said students from across the country come to Delhi, and that many colleges barely have hostels. The court asked the MCD for rules governing PGs and told Delhi University to say how many outstation students it admits and how many hostels it runs. The next hearing is on 25 or 26 September, depending on the report.
Police arrested building owner Hariram Gupta in Bhiwadi after he left the city. His wife Urmila and son Mahesh were also arrested on Monday. Police said the property is registered in Urmila's name and that Mahesh handled day-to-day running.
Satya Niketan is a student housing stack, not a luxury pocket. Families send kids to Delhi for college and trust a PG to hold. When one falls, the story becomes every other illegal floor that got waved through.
The High Court put that on the record. It asked for an audit with names, permissions, and student counts, not another sealing press note. Whether MCD can finish that in a week is the first test.
Rescue and identification finish first. The MCD inquiry and the one-week PG audit are due before the next hearing. The FIRs against the owner and family will set the early legal track.