Delhi HC orders action plan for safety measures to avoid fire incidents in restaurants

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday asked the authorities to devise an action plan to put in place safety measures for avoiding fire and other incidents in hotels, clubs and restaurants across the national capital.

A bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia noted that the petitioner has come to the court without approaching the authorities and asked him to give a representation to them.

The court also asked the authorities to consider as representation the plea seeking to conduct a safety audit, including fire safety, of hotels, clubs and restaurants across the national capital.

“There is nothing on record to show that before approaching this court, the petitioner has approached the authorities. We dispose of the writ petition with a direction that it shall be treated as a representation by the authorities,” the bench said.

The court asked the authorities to consider the representation and pass an appropriate decision expeditiously according to rules and laws. They should address the issues and devise an action plan to put in place safety measures so that fire incidents and other accidents might be avoided, it added.

The petition arrayed the Delhi government, Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) as party respondents.

The court was hearing a petition by advocate Arpit Bhargava seeking to direct the authorities to conduct the safety audit and submit a zone-wise report in a time-bound manner.

The petitioner, represented by advocates Sarthak Sharma and Mohit Yadav, further sought direction to the authorities to take remedial measures in case of shortcomings and also to formulate a compensation scheme for the family members of deceased or injured in fire incidents and fix accountability of erring officials.

Referring to the nightclub fire incident in Goa in December 2025, the plea said there are various similar establishments in Delhi which are operating in violation of the law, are not following safety protocols and are exposing the public and their lives to such incidents.

“Thus, the object is to save the lives of the public at large and to implement such a compensation/ damage scheme that no person will think of violating the law knowingly, thereby ensuring compliance on its own, which will ease the job of respondents as well in the long run,” it said.