Retired IPS officer Kiran Bedi appeared before the Delhi High Court on Thursday. She sought to be impleaded in the case related to the collapse of a hostel building in Satya Niketan.
Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma, appearing for the Central government, the Delhi government and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), opposed Bedi’s petition. He sought time to file a reply.
A bench comprising Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyay and Justice Tejas Karia said, “What reply will you file? She is a responsible citizen of the country. She has experience in administration. This matter concerns the wider public interest.”
On September 6th, the Satya Niketan hostel building collapsed, killing seven people and injuring six others. On September 7th, the Delhi High Court ordered the MCD to conduct a high-level investigation into the incident.
2 pictures of Satya Niketan after the debris was removed…
NDRF teams carried out operations to remove debris and rescue people for 28 hours.
After the accident, MCD has suspended 5 officers.
Bedi’s petition has been given three days to respond
The court said that Kiran Bedi, former Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry, is willing to assist the court in the matter and that her extensive administrative experience could be utilized.
The court asked the authorities not to treat the matter as a confrontation. It gave the authorities three days to respond to Bedi’s petition.
Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma said he had great respect for Kiran Bedi, but her petition appeared to suggest she was drawing premature conclusions about the case. He added that the relevant authorities had not yet filed their status report.
High Court said on 7 September: Government can’t evade responsibility
On September 7, the High Court directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to conduct a high-level inquiry into the incident, making it clear that the government cannot evade its responsibility.
The court observed that the incident was not merely an unfortunate accident but one that raised serious concerns about the availability of adequate student accommodation, including hostel facilities.
Expressing concern over the condition of hostels operated by Delhi University and government authorities, the court also questioned the adequacy of measures taken by the MCD and other agencies to ensure student safety and effectively regulate paying-guest (PG) accommodation.
PG owner, operator and labour contractor among the arrested accused
Delhi Police has arrested building owner Hariram Bansal, his wife Urmila, son Mahesh, labour contractor Sanoj and a man named Sudhanshu in the PG accident.
Hariram Bansal, accused in the PG accident, is a retired Air Force sergeant.
