‘Owners failed to take safety precautions’: Delhi Police to HC on Satya Niketan building collapse

Delhi Police has told the Delhi High Court that six accused, including the owners of Satya Niketan building which collapsed, failed to take adequate safety precautions during construction or repair work creating a situation that endangered human lives and ultimately caused deaths.

The Delhi Police made the submission in its status report in which it also said that the building collapsed due to excessive structural load or weakening of the existing structure which endangered human life and resulted in casualties.

The building at Satya Niketan, which housed a boys’ paying-guest accommodation near the Delhi University’s South Campus, collapsed on September 6 while repair work was underway. Five students were among seven people who died in the collapse, while several others injured.

The status report was filed in pending PIL by law student Aniket Kumar Gupta, seeking urgent medical care and rehabilitation of affected students, Rs 1 crore compensation to kin of deceased and preservation of crucial evidence relating to the collapse.

The matter is listed for hearing on Friday before a bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia.

The police, in the eight-page status report filed on September 21, said that after the incident, the accused persons left the spot instead of taking responsibility and assisting in the immediate aftermath of the incident. Their conduct and individual roles are being examined during the course of investigation.

“Prima facie the six arrested accused persons failed to take adequate safety precautions during the construction/ repair/ modification/ alteration work carried out in and around the building, which resulted in a situation endangering human life and ultimately caused deaths and serious injuries to PG students and other persons,” the report said.

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The police said during the preliminary inspection of spot, it was noticed that an old building had been subjected to additional construction in the basement and upper storeys, without obtaining permission from the concerned competent government authorities.

The construction or structural alteration allegedly increased the load on the existing structure and affected its load-bearing capacity, it said.

The police said the property was owned by accused Urmila Gupta and it was jointly managed by her, her husband Hari Ram Gupta and their son Mahesh Gupta, who both are accused in the case.