Satya Niketan building collapse: SC mulls pan-India examination of building safety, may transfer Delhi HC case to itself

The Supreme Court on Tuesday said it was considering examining building safety issues on a pan-India basis in the wake of the Satya Niketan building collapse in Delhi that claimed seven lives, and indicated that it may transfer to itself the related proceedings pending before the Delhi High Court. A bench comprising Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah and Justice R. Mahadevan said it already had 'something in mind' to address the issue beyond Delhi and would take up the matter on Thursday. 'We already have something in mind. It has to be on a pan-India basis. We may get it (petition before Delhi High Court) transferred here. We will take it the day` after tomorrow,' it added. Advertisement The issue arose when court-appointed amicus curiae and senior advocate Ajit Kumar Sinha mentioned a plea seeking urgent directions for inspection and safety audits of private paying guest (PG) accommodations, hostels and other student housing facilities across Delhi. Advertisement Referring to the September 6 incident, Sinha described it as a 'very serious issue' and informed the bench that inspections being carried out pursuant to the court's earlier directions were nearing completion, with the last inspection scheduled for Tuesday (September 8) afternoon. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta pointed out that proceedings concerning the Satya Niketan collapse were already pending before the Delhi High Court and suggested that the Supreme Court could transfer the case to itself. The building at Satya Niketan, near Delhi University's South Campus, was being used as a boys' PG accommodation and reportedly collapsed while repair work was underway, killing at least seven occupants. The matter was mentioned before the bench headed by Justice Amanullah is already dealing with broader issues concerning illegal construction and unsafe buildings in Delhi-NCR. In July, the Supreme Court had expressed concern over civic authorities' failure to act against unauthorised and potentially unsafe structures while dealing with issues arising from the Saket building collapse and the Malviya Nagar hotel fire. It had directed a time-bound ground survey of Saket, Malviya Nagar and Lajpat Nagar by a team comprising IIT Delhi professors, Municipal Corporation of Delhi officials and the amicus curiae, besides seeking action-taken reports from the authorities. The court had also warned that officials could be held personally responsible for failure to act against building violations. The Delhi High Court, meanwhile, had on Monday ordered a high-level inquiry by the MCD into the Satya Niketan collapse, including whether the building had valid construction permissions and whether any officials were responsible for lapses.