The deadly building collapse in South Delhi’s Satya Niketan has prompted a fresh push for stricter safety checks across student accommodation facilities in the national capital. The Supreme Court-appointed amicus curiae has asked the court to widen its ongoing inspection drive to include paying guest (PG) accommodations, private hostels and other establishments housing students.
The demand follows the September 6 collapse in Satya Niketan, which claimed the lives of seven students. The locality had not been included in the Supreme Court’s earlier inspection exercise covering areas such as Lajpat Nagar, Saket and Malviya Nagar, where concerns had been raised over unauthorised and potentially unsafe construction.
Senior advocate Ajit Kumar Sinha, serving as amicus curiae in the matter, highlighted the recurrence of building collapses in Satya Niketan. His report pointed out that the area had already witnessed a fatal collapse in April 2022, when two people died and four others were injured.
“The present incident is also required to be viewed in the context of an earlier building collapse in Satya Niketan in April 2022, in which two persons lost their lives, and four others were injured. The recurrence of such an incident in the same locality raises serious concerns regarding the effectiveness of the existing mechanism for inspection, identification of dangerous structures, and enforcement of building bye-laws,” the report stated.
Basement Construction Under Scrutiny
The amicus also drew attention to construction activity reportedly taking place in and around the basement of the building before the collapse. The report further mentioned claims of waterlogging in the basement shortly before the structure came down, raising additional concerns about the condition and safety of the premises.
Against this backdrop, Sinha has called for a time-bound inspection and comprehensive safety audit of PGs, private hostels and similar student accommodation facilities located around colleges and universities throughout Delhi.
The proposed inspections would go beyond simply checking whether a building appears structurally sound.
What Will the Safety Audit Check?
The amicus has proposed examining several key aspects of student housing, including:
- Whether construction matches the sanctioned building plans
- The actual number of floors and construction carried out on the property
- Basement construction and subsequent alterations
- Whether the building is being used for an authorised purpose
- Structural stability and safety
- Fire-safety arrangements
- Safe entry and exit routes
- Buildings classified as dangerous, unsafe or in a ruinous condition
The latest recommendation puts the spotlight on the safety of thousands of students living in privately operated PGs and hostels across Delhi, particularly in areas surrounding major educational institutions.
The recurring collapse in Satya Niketan has also raised questions about whether existing inspection mechanisms are adequately identifying dangerous structures and ensuring compliance with building regulations.
The Supreme Court is now being asked to consider expanding its inspection framework so that potentially unsafe student accommodation does not remain outside the safety net simply because it falls beyond the areas covered by the earlier exercise.
