A Supreme Court-appointed advisor has petitioned India’s top court for a time-bound structural audit and the demolition of unauthorized buildings across Delhi, following a building collapse on May 30 that left six people dead and at least 14 others injured.
Senior advocate Ajit Kumar Sinha, serving as the court’s amicus curiae, submitted a status report on June 4 calling for urgent judicial intervention. The filing accuses the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) of failing to meet its statutory duties by allowing illegal constructions to continue despite repeated safety warnings.
Urgent Demands For Municipal Accountability
In the report filed through advocate Govind Jee, Sinha requested that the Supreme Court direct the MCD to submit a comprehensive survey detailing all unauthorized constructions and misuse of residential properties within its jurisdiction, along with the corrective measures taken.
The petition also seeks a directive forcing the civic body to conduct immediate structural audits of all properties under municipal purview. It demands that any structures found to be illegal be sealed and demolished within a strict, predefined timeframe.
Additionally, the filing asks the court to mandate a detailed explanation from the MCD regarding how a five-story building at Plot No. 261, Western Marg, in Delhi’s Said-ul-Azaib area, was permitted to stand, and what disciplinary actions are being taken against responsible officials.
History Of Unchecked Violations
The immediate trigger for the petition was the collapse of the Said-ul-Azaib structure. According to municipal records cited in the status report, the property had a long history of unchecked safety violations.
The building was first flagged by municipal authorities for unauthorized construction in 2012, with subsequent violations recorded in 2015 when additional floors were built. Despite these formal bookings, no effective enforcement or sealing took place. The construction persisted, culminating in the addition of a fourth and fifth floor shortly before the entire structure collapsed on May 30.
The status report urges that the Delhi government and city police submit a joint action-taken report, which should specifically investigate the potential involvement of municipal officers in allowing the construction. Furthermore, it asks that the Government of NCT of Delhi be directed to submit an affidavit outlining its plan to compensate the families of those who died in the disaster.
Broader Judicial Scrutiny
The latest filing builds upon previous concerns raised by the Supreme Court regarding urban planning and construction safety. On March 25, a bench comprising Justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and R Mahadevan expressed deep concern over widespread building code violations and municipal failures during a hearing originating from Tamil Nadu.
Recognizing the systemic nature of the issue, the bench had previously ordered a nationwide inquiry into illegal land-use conversions and the unauthorized commercial use of residential properties. Sinha’s new petition argues that the recent tragedy in Delhi underscores the critical need for immediate enforcement of these regulatory standards.
