New Delhi: Delhi Police has told Delhi High Court that the six accused, including the owners of the Satya Niketan building that collapsed earlier this year, failed to take adequate safety precautions during construction and repair work, creating conditions that endangered human life and resulted in deaths and injuries.
In a status report filed before the court, police said the building collapsed due to excessive structural load or weakening of the existing structure, leading to casualties.
Police also told the court that the accused left the spot after the collapse instead of assisting in the aftermath of the incident. Police said the contractor engaged two unqualified labourers for the repair work and neither he nor the owners sought the opinion of any qualified structural expert before undertaking the alterations.
The property was owned by Urmila Gupta and jointly managed by her husband Hari Ram Gupta and son Mahesh Gupta, both of whom have also been named as accused, according to the investigation.