Building collapse: Delhi High Court refuses urgent hearing on PIL for hostels in DU colleges

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday refused to grant urgent hearing on a PIL seeking hostel facilities for students in all colleges run by the Delhi University and asked if such directions could be issued “in the interim”.

A bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia asked the lawyer why time was being wasted unnecessarily and said the petition should be filed for auto-listing on Wednesday.

The matter was mentioned for listing today itself.

The lawyer said the public interest litigation was being filed in the wake of the PG building collapse in Satya Niketan near Delhi University’s South Campus. Seven people were killed.

The court said a direction for hostel facilities cannot be issued in the interim and added that it has already heard and passed an order in another PIL on Monday on the same issue.

The lawyer responded by saying that the other PIL had different asks, including compensation for the kin of deceased and injured persons. He said his plea seeks a direction to every college to have hostel facilities for students.

“Can we issue such a direction in the interim? File it. It will be taken up tomorrow,” the bench said.

The high court on Monday ordered a high-level MCD inquiry into the building collapse at Satya Niketan and made it clear that the government cannot evade responsibility.

Also Read: DU VC asks colleges to expedite hostel projects after Satya Niketan building collapse

The high court, which termed the incident “most unfortunate”, said such tragedies are a result of inadequate measures employed by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and other authorities and directed them to double rescue efforts so that lives can be saved.

It said the incident has evoked deep concern about inadequate housing facilities, including hostels run by Delhi University or the government, safety and security of students and not-so-adequate measures employed by the MCD and other authorities to regulate such PG facilities.

On Monday, building owner Hariram Gupta and his wife were produced before a trial court here and have been remanded to judicial custody. Their son has been sent to two days of police custody.