Don't file petition in air: HC raps lawyer over claim people trapped in PG debris

The Delhi High Court declined to urgently hear a plea against demolition besides the collapsed five-storey Satya Niketan hostel, which killed seven people.When the matter was mentioned for an urgent hearing, the lawyer said the authorities had gone ahead with the demolition without removing debris from the basement of the collapsed hostel. (File photo)The Delhi High Court on Monday refused to urgently list a plea over the Municipal Corporation of Delhi's decision to demolish the building next to the five-storey Satya Niketan PG that collapsed last week. A lawyer told the court that the demolition was being carried out without clearing debris from the hostel's basement and that some people might still be trapped.A bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia questioned the basis of the claim and said the authorities would have carried out an assessment before ordering the demolition. The court said the plea would be listed in due course and declined to take it up urgently.When the matter was mentioned for an urgent hearing, the lawyer said the authorities had gone ahead with the demolition without removing debris from the basement of the collapsed hostel. The lawyer told the court that some people could still be trapped there.The bench, however, asked what material was available to support that submission. “What's the source of information that there are persons below the debris? How do you know? They must have conducted some type of technical audit before deciding to demolish the adjoining building. It's all your guesswork that there might be some people. You should have some basis for making such submissions,” the court told the lawyer.The bench added that the plea would come up on its normal course. “What's so urgent? You should not file the petition just in air. What is the technical information available to you?” it said. The Satya Niketan building, which housed a boys' paying-guest accommodation near Delhi University's South Campus, collapsed on September 6 while repair work was underway. On September 7, the High Court ordered a high-level MCD inquiry into the collapse, which left seven people dead, and said the government could not evade responsibility.The court had said the incident was not only unfortunate but also raised deep concern over inadequate housing facilities, including hostels run by Delhi University or the government, the safety and security of students, and the inadequate measures used by the MCD and other authorities to regulate such paying-guest facilities.On September 8, the civic body began a controlled demolition of the adjoining building after declaring it dangerous. The building housed a girls' paying-guest accommodation and had been evacuated after the collapse of the neighbouring five-storey structure.- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Sep 14, 2026 12:30 IST