The Delhi High Court on Wednesday remarked that the dreams and hopes of young students, who lost their lives in the recent Satya Niketan PG collapse, have been “shattered” by the “callous and criminal” conduct of the authorities.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia made the remarks while hearing a fresh PIL on the issue filed by one Aakarshak Danveer Rathi.

The counsel for Rathi said that the plea seeks a direction to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to create an online platform specifically mentioning about the availability of hostel facilities in Delhi.

ASG Chetan Sharma said that the Government has proactively mapped and earmarked a lot of land, buildings, water, wifi and electricity facilities.

On this, the CJ cited a report published today in the Indian Expressing giving the details of the five young students who lost their lives in the incident.

“You (ASG) need to read the complete report published in Indian Express today...students who lost their lives in the incident. It is very tragic. Everyone should read it,” he said.

“It is not an ordinary incident of any mishap. These students come to your capital city with lots of hope and dreams, coming from small towns. That all has been shattered by such callous and criminal conduct on part of the authorities. Who does not know the problems of hostels in the city? This is going on since long. Students have come to Delhi for higher education. This is not a new phenomenon. It is happening for the last 20 to 25 years at least. They come in the hope that they build a career. See what has happened,” CJ added.

ASG responded by saying that it is indeed an unfortunate and tragic incident.

The Court ultimately tagged the plea along with similar PILs which are to be heard on September 25.

For context, the Court recently asked the authorities to double their efforts to save the lives of students affected by the collapse.

It has directed the MCD to take up the issue at its highest executive level and get an enquiry conducted as to whether the buildings which collapsed were constructed under valid permission or not.

The High Court has also said that if it is found that the construction was not done under valid permission, MCD shall fix responsibility of the erring official or employees for the lapse.

The building, which housed a boys' paying guest accommodation near Delhi University's South Campus, collapsed around 1.30 pm while repair work was underway at its basement. Locals alleged the basement was waterlogged that could have weakened the structure.

The Delhi Police has registered a case against the three at the South Campus Police Station. They have been booked on charges including culpable homicide, negligence in the upkeep of a structure and endangering the safety of others.

Title: Aakarshak Danveer Rathi v. MCD & Ors