Satya Niketan PG Collapse | Supreme Court Seeks Reports From Civic Autorities Of State/UT Capitals On Building Law Violations
The Court focused on Pan-India issues while allowing Delhi HC to continue monitoring the action taken after the Satya Niketan incident.
The Supreme Court on Thursday flagged wider instances of building and land-use violations beyond the PG accommodation at the centre of the Satya Niketan building collapse, after Amicus Curiae Senior Advocate Ajit Kumar Sinha told the Court that similar concerns could arise in gyms, coaching centres and BPOs.
Sinha told a bench of Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah and Justice R. Mahadevan that the Delhi High Court proceedings concerning the Satya Niketan collapse were moving in the right direction, with action including demolition of unauthorised structures having commenced. He submitted, however, that the Supreme Court's earlier directions covered a broader range of issues, including illegal construction and misuse of land, and were not confined to PG accommodations.
The Amicus referred to gyms, coaching centres and BPOs as other establishments where similar violations could arise. He also informed the Court that inspections had found buildings in Saidulajab where around 500 people were being employed.
"They pack them like sardines, hundreds into one room. Whether the structure is capable of that, no adequate ingress, egress, nothing," Justice Amanullah remarked.
The Court was hearing the ongoing case on violations of building byelaws and unauthorized commercial use of residential premises, after the issue was brought into focus by the September 6 collapse of a five-storey building being used as a PG accommodation in Delhi's Satya Niketan, which left seven persons dead and 12 injured.
Sinha, who is the Amicus Curiae in the case, had sought directions for a time-bound inspection and safety audit of PG accommodations, private hostels and similar student accommodation establishments across Delhi.
The Supreme Court today decided not to transfer to itself the Delhi High Court proceedings concerning the incident. The Court accepted Sinha's suggestion that the Delhi High Court proceedings should continue. It requested the High Court to monitor the case at short intervals.
"We accept the suggestion to not disturb the position of the case before the High Court which shall continue. The High Court is requested to monitor the case in short intervals," the Court said.
Justice Amanullah indicated that the Court intended to initially focus on the misuse of land, particularly residential areas being used in violation of the land-use classification prescribed by the authorities.
The Court directed authorities to file affidavits before it on the action taken on issues concerning building bye-law violations and land-use violations, and compliance with its earlier orders. The Court on March 25 had directed municipal corporations and municipalities in the capital cities of all States and Union Territories to conduct a comprehensive exercise to identify residential areas being used for non-residential purposes.
In its August 5 order, the Court noted that the required physical survey in specified areas under the NDMC and MCD had not been completed and directed the two bodies to provide competent draftsmen to carry out the exercise. It also directed a similar survey in Lucknow and sought reports.
Today, the Court noted that inspections had been conducted in parts of Delhi and Lucknow. In Delhi, the exercise covered Lajpat Nagar, Malviya Nagar and Sarojini Nagar, while the Lucknow inspection covered Aliganj. The Court ordered all relevant authorities, not just Delhi and Lucknow, to submit their reports in compliance with its March 25 and August 5 orders.
The matter has been listed on 15th September at 2 PM for further consideration.
Background
The Delhi High Court in a PIL regarding the Satya Niketan collapse has directed the MCD to inspect all PG hostels under its jurisdiction within one week. The High Court also sought a report on whether the buildings had the requisite permissions, whether there were violations of building byelaws and whether any statutory or executive regulations existed for regulating PG hostels in Delhi.
On Tuesday, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta pointed out that the High Court was already dealing with the issue. However, Justice Amanullah observed that the proceedings overlapped with the Supreme Court's case and indicated that the High Court PIL could be transferred to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court had earlier constituted a committee to inspect buildings in Lajpat Nagar, Saket and Malviya Nagar. The inspection was completed on September 3, with the committee finding certain buildings in Saidulajab, Saket and Lajpat Nagar to be in a precarious and unsafe condition. The Amicus Curiae has sought that the inspection exercise should now be extended to PG accommodations and similar establishments.
The larger proceedings concern widespread violations of building byelaws and land-use regulations. On March 25, 2026, the Supreme Court had directed that the issue be monitored on a pan-India basis.
Case no. – Miscellaneous Application Diary No. 17103/2026
Case title – Loganathan v. The State of Tamil Nadu