By A Delhi court has rejected the anticipatory bail plea of Shubham Tyagi, the PG operator accused in the Satya Niketan building collapse case.
The Patiala House Courts denied the plea, citing evidence including the statement of a student injured in the September 6 collapse that killed seven people.
The court said Tyagi’s own rent agreement, allegedly withheld from his bail application, showed he had rented the second and third floors specifically to run a boys’ PG.
Judge Saurabh Pratap Singh Laler said further investigation was needed into Tyagi’s knowledge, consent and financial or operational role.
Five people have been arrested in the case so far, as the Supreme Court examines a separate plea for a nationwide PG and hostel safety audit.
The judge said the circumstances warranted further investigation into Tyagi’s knowledge, consent and financial or operational role in the running of the PG.
Five accused have been arrested so far in connection with the collapse, including the building’s owner and several Municipal Corporation of Delhi officials.
The Supreme Court has separately taken up the matter, with an Amicus Curiae seeking a nationwide, time-bound safety audit of PG accommodations and hostels near colleges.
The National Human Rights Commission issued notices to the Delhi government and the University Grants Commission earlier this month over the incident.
MCD had earlier demolished an adjoining unsafe structure at the collapse site, citing danger to public safety under the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act.
Tyagi is reported to have told the court that the construction responsible for the collapse was not within the portion of the building he had rented.
The Satya Niketan building collapse on September 6 killed seven people and injured several others, prompting a wider crackdown on unsafe PG accommodations across Delhi.
Additional Sessions Judge Saurabh Pratap Singh Laler dismissed the anticipatory bail plea after considering submissions from counsel and evidence including the statement of an injured student.
Patiala House Courts, New Delhi, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
