New Delhi: Former Puducherry lieutenant governor and retired IPS officer Kiran Bedi Thursday moved Delhi High Court seeking to be made a party in a matter relating to the collapse of a building in Satya Niketan that left seven people, including five students, dead.
Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma, appearing for Centre, Delhi govt and Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), however, opposed Bedi’s plea and sought time to file objections.
Asking them not to view it adversarially, the court gave the authorities three days to file their replies to Bedi’s plea and listed it for hearing along with the main matter on Sept 25. The building at Satya Niketan, which housed a boys’ PG accommodation near Delhi University’s South Campus, collapsed on Sept 6. On Sept 7, HC ordered a high-level MCD inquiry.
You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Delhi | Silver Rate in Delhi | Bank Holidays in Delhi | Public Holidays in Delhi | Delhi AQI | Weather in Delhi | Petrol Price in Delhi | Diesel Price in Delhi | CNG Price in Delhi | LPG Price in Delhi Stay updated with the latest Delhi news.
Bedi is only seeking to intervene in the case to assist the court and her “long experience” could always be utilised, it added. The ASG said while he held Bedi in “great esteem”, her application seeking intervention suggested she was “pre-judging” the matter in which the authorities were yet to file status reports. Repeated incidents involving unsafe accommodations raise questions if local authorities were aware of such violations but failed to act, the plea says, alleging a systemic failure.
“What reply will you file? She is a conscientious citizen of the country. She has administrative experience. The matter is in larger public interest,” a bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia wondered as they asked the law officer to explain. The application alleges that several paying guest hostels and buildings in the area are being operated by persons connected with local political representatives, their families or associates, enabling the operators to bypass statutory and safety requirements. Download the TOI App.