The Centre has opposed former IPS officer Kiran Bedi’s plea to join Delhi HC proceedings on the Satya Niketan building collapse, with the court granting three days for its response.
The court said Bedi’s administrative experience could assist in examining wider public-interest issues arising from the collapse and scheduled the matter for September 25.
The five-storey building collapse on September 6 killed seven people and injured five, prompting scrutiny of illegal PGs, regulatory lapses and student accommodation in Delhi.
Satya Niketan Collapse: Centre Opposes Kiran Bedi’s Plea To Join Delhi HC Case
A bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia said Bedi was a “conscientious citizen” with “ample experience” and stressed that the matter involved larger public interest
Summary
The Centre on Thursday opposed former IPS officer Kiran Bedi’s plea seeking impleadment in petitions related to the Satya Niketan building collapse, while the Delhi High Court granted it three days to file its response. The court said Bedi’s administrative experience could be useful in examining the wider issues arising from the incident.
A bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia said Bedi was a “conscientious citizen” with “ample experience” and stressed that the matter involved larger public interest. “We can always utilise her long experience... Don’t take the matter adversarially,” the bench said.
Bedi’s application seeks her intervention in the proceedings, which are scheduled to be heard next on September 25.
Centre Opposes Bedi’s Impleadment Plea
Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma and standing counsel Ashish Dixit, appearing for the Centre, told the court that they had instructions to oppose Bedi’s impleadment.
Sharma argued that Bedi had already prejudged issues involved in the case and sought time to file a detailed response to her application. The court granted the Centre three days to submit its reply.
In her plea, Bedi said she wanted to place before the court disclosures already available in the public domain. She alleged that these pointed to a “nexus” involving local political representatives, administrative apathy and the operation of illegal paying guest accommodations allegedly owned or run by administrators, politicians and their associates.
The plea comes amid scrutiny of student accommodation and regulatory lapses following the collapse of a five-storey building housing a PG for Delhi University students.
Satya Niketan Collapse Killed Seven
The building collapsed on September 6, killing at least seven people and injuring five others. Police said renovation work was being carried out on the ground floor when the structure came down. The building was estimated to be 40-50 years old.
The property owner, 81-year-old Hariram Gupta, was arrested. An FIR was registered at South Campus police station against Gupta and unidentified persons under Sections 105, 290 and 125 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, relating to culpable homicide not amounting to murder, negligent conduct in building-related work and acts endangering life or personal safety.
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Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta ordered a magisterial inquiry into the collapse.
The following day, the Delhi High Court directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to conduct an inquiry at the highest executive level. The court called the incident unfortunate and observed that it could have been avoided had authorities been attentive to their statutory duties.
The court also asked the government to consider doubling hostel facilities for students, noting that inadequate accommodation at Delhi University colleges forces students from outside Delhi and their parents to depend on private PGs.
Meanwhile, MCD began controlled demolition of an adjoining building two days after the collapse after officials declared it dangerous. Civic officials said metal jacks and support poles had to be installed to stabilise the structure and prevent a further collapse.
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