The Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed NGO Kutumb to file a separate petition seeking a court-monitored investigation into the recent fire at Vishal Mega Mart in Karol Bagh, which claimed two lives on July 4. The court clarified that the fire incident could not be clubbed with an ongoing case concerning a separate tragedy involving flooding in Old Rajinder Nagar.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Anish Dayal said the two matters involved different causes of action. “File a separate petition. Cause of action different. In coaching case, it was flooding. Here it’s fire,” the bench observed, pointing out that the court could not oversee both issues under one proceeding.
The application was filed in an ongoing case relating to a July 2024 flooding incident in which three UPSC aspirants died after water gushed into the basement of a coaching centre due to a drain burst.
In the fire-related plea, the NGO alleged grave negligence on the part of Vishal Mega Mart’s management, the Delhi Police, the fire department, and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). The application highlighted systemic lapses in the enforcement of fire and safety regulations and raised concerns about the issuance of licenses and no-objection certificates (NOCs) to commercial establishments in congested zones.
The NGO also sought directions for an inquiry into the role of municipal and safety officials and a status assessment of whether Vishal Mega Mart and other commercial units in the vicinity possessed valid regulatory approvals.
Additionally, the plea called for the immediate closure of unauthorized shopping complexes, restaurants, coaching centres, and similar establishments in Karol Bagh and adjoining areas until a thorough status report is submitted.
