Satya Niketan Collapse: Delhi HC Refuses Urgent Hearing On Plea Seeking DU Hostels

New Delhi: Delhi High Court has refused to immediately hear the petition demanding to provide hostels in every college of Delhi University. The court said that a PIL related to the same issue is already listed for hearing hence there is no need to list the matter separately as urgent. The petition will be heard on Wednesday, September 9.

Why did demand for hostels arise after Satya Niketan accident?

Seven people, including five students, were killed when a five-storey PG building collapsed in Satya Niketan on September 6. After the accident, the issue of lack of safe and adequate hostels for students in Delhi has again come to the fore. Hostel capacity in many colleges of Delhi University is limited, due to which a large number of students are forced to live in private PGs and rented houses.

Why did the court refuse to hear immediately?

A demand for immediate listing of the petition was placed before the bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyay and Justice Tejas Karia on Tuesday. The court said that a PIL has already been filed on this subject and it will come up for hearing on Wednesday. In such a situation, it would not be appropriate to hear another petition on the same issue immediately.

What is the demand made in the petition?

In the petition, a demand has been made to ensure provision of hostels for students in every college of Delhi University. The logic behind this is that due to lack of adequate institutional hostels, students are forced to stay in private PGs, where questions are often raised regarding the safety and structural condition of the buildings.

In the earlier PIL filed regarding the Satya Niketan accident, a demand has been made to conduct a safety audit of PG and private hostels in Delhi, to shift the students living in unsafe buildings to safe places and to give a compensation of Rs 1 crore each to the families of the victims of the accident.

Will other PGs and hostels of Delhi also be investigated?

After the Satya Niketan accident, this demand is no longer limited to just one area. The Supreme Court-appointed amicus curiae has also demanded a comprehensive security audit of PGs, private hostels and other student residences running around Delhi's colleges and universities.

Delhi High Court has also expressed concern over the shortage of hostels during the hearing of the Satya Niketan case. The court has sought a report from the MCD regarding the rules governing PGs and hostels and the arrangements for monitoring these buildings. The court also indicated that responsibility for such a tragedy cannot be limited to the owner of the building alone.