The Supreme Court on Friday (August 14) dismissed a writ petition seeking directions to the Centre and States to frame a National Minimum Fire and Life Safety Compliance, Audit, Disclosure and Accountability Framework for high-risk public occupancy premises, including schools, coaching centres, hostels, hotels, restaurants, marriage halls, malls, cinemas, hospitals etc.

A bench of Justice Narasimha and Justice Alok Aradhe thereafter dismissed the matter.

The petition was filed a month after the June 3, 2026 fire incident at the Flourish Stay bed-and-breakfast facility in Delhi's Hauz Rani area near Max Hospital, in which 23 people were killed. The five-storey premises, which had been licensed as a six-room B&B, was allegedly operating with more than two dozen rooms and did not have a mandatory fire NOC. As per news reports, investigators found that the building had sealed windows, a single entry-exit point and blocked roof access which may have hampered evacuation, and other alleged fire-safety and building violations.

The petitioner sought a time-bound National Minimum Fire and Life Safety Compliance, Audit, Disclosure and Accountability Framework for high-risk public occupancy premises, including schools, coaching and tuition centres, student libraries, hostels and PGs, hotels, guest houses, B&Bs, restaurants, banquet and marriage halls, gaming and entertainment zones, malls, cinema halls, hospitals, nursing homes, clinics above a prescribed risk threshold and other high-footfall commercial premises. The framework was sought to be framed by the Union of India, National Disaster Management Authority, Directorate General Fire Services, Bureau of Indian Standards and National Commission for Protection of Child Rights in consultation with all States and Union Territories.

The petition sought special fire and life safety audits of such premises within 90 or 120 days, with States and Union Territories required to submit district-wise data on their number, valid, absent or expired fire NOCs, occupancy or building-use certificates, sealing or prosecution, time-bound rectification and imminent risks.

It also sought a public dashboard containing details such as fire NOCs and their expiry dates, occupancy or building-use permissions, trade licences, permitted occupancy, inspection dates, deficiencies and compliance status. No high-risk premise, the petitioner sought, should operate without the requisite fire, building, electrical-safety and trade clearances, with immediate closure or sealing of premises posing a grave risk to life.

The petition sought to prohibit the use of basements, rooftops, mezzanines, temporary structures, tin sheds and unauthorised floors for public-occupancy activities unless approved and compliant with safety norms. It also sought annual fire-safety and periodic electrical-safety audits, mandatory evacuation plans, illuminated exit signs, emergency lighting, staff training, occupant orientation and mock drills.

The petitioner proposed QR-coded, digitally verifiable and tamper-proof fire-safety certificates linked to the dashboard, with penalties for false certificates, fake NOCs, collusive inspections and suppression of deficiencies. He also sought District Fire and Life Safety Enforcement Committees headed by the District Magistrate, Commissioner or equivalent authority, with representatives from the Fire Service, municipal or development authorities, Police, Education, Health and Tourism or commercial licensing departments, to monitor compliance and submit quarterly reports.

The petition sought directions to the Union of India, NDMA, Directorate General Fire Services and BIS to create model inspection checklists based on the National Building Code, Model Building Bye-Laws, State laws and NDMA guidelines. It also sought a presumption of regulatory negligence for interim compensation where death or grievous injury occurs at a non-compliant high-risk premise, besides a strict liability compensation protocol and departmental and criminal-law action against negligent public officials.

The petitioner further sought mandatory fire and life safety self-certification for future licences and renewals, counter-certified by authorised technical or fire officials, with penal consequences for false declarations. Special protection was sought for children and students by prohibiting schools, coaching centres, hostels, PGs and libraries from operating from unsafe basements, illegal floors, congested staircases, single-exit premises or structures without safe evacuation facilities.

The petition also sought the status of implementation of the directions in Avinash Mehrotra v. Union of India, the NDMA School Safety Policy, National School Fire Safety Campaign, Model Fire Service Bill and fire-service modernisation scheme.

Finally, it sought constitution of a National Expert Committee comprising representatives of the concerned Central ministries and agencies, State Fire Services and experts in electrical safety, building codes, school, coaching, hospital and hospitality safety and public law, to recommend the final framework within a fixed period.

Case no. – W.P.(C) No. 838/2026

Case Title – Narendra Kumar Goswami v. Union of India & Ors.