Court rejects bail for accused in Satya Niketan collapse case

A Delhi court has rejected the bail plea of Shubham Tyagi, the accused PG operator in the Satya Niketan building collapse case.

The Patiala House Courts denied anticipatory bail, citing evidence including the statement of a student injured in the September 6 collapse that killed seven people.

The court noted Tyagi’s rent agreement, allegedly not disclosed in his bail application, showed he had rented the second and third floors to specifically run a boys’ PG.

Judge Saurabh Pratap Singh Laler said further investigation into Tyagi’s knowledge, consent and financial role was warranted.

Five people have been arrested so far, while the Supreme Court separately examines a plea for a nationwide safety audit of PG accommodations.

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.

The court noted that Tyagi’s own rent agreement, allegedly not disclosed in his bail application, showed he had taken the second and third floors of the building specifically to run a boys’ PG.

The judge said the circumstances warranted further investigation into Tyagi’s knowledge, consent and financial or operational role in the running of the PG.

Patiala House Courts, New Delhi, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0