Patiala House Courts, New Delhi, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
PG operator Shubham Tyagi has been denied anticipatory bail by a Delhi court in the Satya Niketan building collapse case.
Additional Sessions Judge Saurabh Pratap Singh Laler dismissed the plea, citing evidence including an injured student’s statement about the September 6 collapse that killed seven people.
The court found that Tyagi’s rent agreement, not disclosed in his bail plea, showed he had rented the second and third floors of the building to run a boys’ PG.
The judge said Tyagi’s knowledge, consent and financial role in the PG’s operation required further investigation.
Five people have been arrested in the case so far, while the Supreme Court separately reviews a plea for a nationwide PG safety audit.
The court noted that Tyagi’s own rent agreement, allegedly not disclosed in his bail application, showed he had taken the second and third floors of the building specifically to run a boys’ PG.
The judge said the circumstances warranted further investigation into Tyagi’s knowledge, consent and financial or operational role in the running of the PG.
Five accused have been arrested so far in connection with the collapse, including the building’s owner and several Municipal Corporation of Delhi officials.
The Supreme Court has separately taken up the matter, with an Amicus Curiae seeking a nationwide, time-bound safety audit of PG accommodations and hostels near colleges.
The National Human Rights Commission issued notices to the Delhi government and the University Grants Commission earlier this month over the incident.
MCD had earlier demolished an adjoining unsafe structure at the collapse site, citing danger to public safety under the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act.
Tyagi is reported to have told the court that the construction responsible for the collapse was not within the portion of the building he had rented.
The Satya Niketan building collapse on September 6 killed seven people and injured several others, prompting a wider crackdown on unsafe PG accommodations across Delhi.
Patiala House Courts, New Delhi, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
