New Delhi: A fresh plea filed in the Supreme Court has sought stringent directions to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to provide an exhaustive account of action taken against illegal structures in the national capital following a fatal five-storey building collapse in Delhi’s Saidulajab area. The structural failure, which occurred over a week ago, resulted in the tragic deaths of six individuals and left at least fourteen others injured, once again bringing the city’s regulatory oversights into sharp focus.
In a comprehensive report submitted to the top court on June 4, senior advocate and amicus curiae Ajit Kumar Sinha sought immediate judicial intervention, emphasizing that the Saidulajab tragedy is a chilling manifestation of rampant unauthorized construction and systemic regulatory failures across Delhi. The report has urged the bench to direct the Government of NCT of Delhi to submit a detailed affidavit outlining a framework to adequately compensate the families of the deceased. Furthermore, it seeks an immediate action-taken report from the Delhi Government and the Delhi Police, specifically investigating the alleged complicity or negligence of municipal officials.
The amicus curiae’s report exposed a history of absolute enforcement failure regarding the collapsed property located at Plot Number 261, Western Marg, Saidulajab. According to official records, violations at the site were first documented by municipal authorities as early as 2012, followed by subsequent bookings in 2015 for the illegal addition of multiple floors. Despite being booked on several occasions, no definitive enforcement or sealing measures were carried out, allowing the illegal construction of the fourth and fifth storeys to proceed just prior to the catastrophic collapse.
To address the broader urban crisis, the plea requests that the apex court order the MCD to file a comprehensive status affidavit mapping out all ongoing surveys and demolition drives against unauthorized construction and the illegal commercial misuse of residential properties. Additionally, the amicus curiae has demanded a time-bound structural audit of all vulnerable buildings under the municipal corporation’s jurisdiction, coupled with immediate sealing and demolition of compromised properties. The legal development builds upon earlier judicial concern; on March 25, a Supreme Court bench comprising Justice A Amanullah and Justice R Mahadevan had already ordered a pan-India inquiry into illegal land-use conversions and the widespread misuse of residential infrastructure.
