NEW DELHI, Sept 9: A Delhi court on Wednesday remanded to two days’ police custody to the son of the owner of the building operated as a paying guest hostel for boys which collapsed on Sunday killing seven people, mostly students in Satya Niketan locality in Delhi, a PG operator and a contractor, who were arrested following the building collapse.
The city police had sought three days’ custody of the accused to question them about the collapse. The proceedings were held in camera after PG operator Sudhanshu’s counsel claimed that “a media trial” was prejudicing the ongoing probe.
Judicial Magistrate Kautuk Bharadwaj allowed custodial interrogation of the building owner’s son Mahesh Gupta, contractor Sanoj and Sudhanshu. Mr Gupta was produced before the court after the completion of his two-day police custody. The other two were produced after being arrested on Tuesday.
The magistrate directed media personnel to step outside the court during the proceedings following the objection by the counsel for Sudhanshu, one of the two business partners running the ‘Hostel Daze’ PG.
According to police, the building owner leased the property to Sudhanshu and his business partner, Shubham Tyagi, in August 2025. The duo subsequently started operating the premises as a paying guest accommodation under the name ‘Hostel Daze’. Mr Tyagi is currently absconding. Labour contractor Sanoj was arrested after being brought from Kasganj in Uttar Pradesh to Delhi.
On Monday, the court had sent building owner Hariram, an 81-year-old retired Indian Air Force sergeant, and his 75-year-old wife, Urmila, to 14 days’ judicial custody, while their 52-year-old son, Mahesh, was remanded to police custody for two days.
The collapse occurred around 1 p.m. on Sunday. According to the FIR, a local enquiry found that the building was several years old and that additional floors had been constructed allegedly for rental income. Investigators are probing whether the additional construction had placed pressure on the existing structure.
Meanwhile, in the aftermath of the Satya Niketan building collapse, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has intensified its crackdown on dangerous buildings, unauthorised constructions and violations of building regulations across the national capital.
As part of the enforcement exercise conducted on Wednesday, the civic body carried out 34 demolitions across all 12 zones, besides sealing 17 properties, issuing 22 show-cause notices and passing four demolition orders.
The action comes amid renewed scrutiny of the safety of PG accommodations and other buildings in the city following the Satya Niketan building collapse on September 6, which highlighted concerns over structurally unsafe buildings and possible violations of construction and building norms.
The MCD had also undertaken enforcement action on Tuesday, during which 17 properties were demolished and five others sealed for violations of the Master Plan of Delhi and Building Bye-Laws.
The MCD said its enforcement campaign against unauthorised construction, misuse of properties and dangerous structures would be intensified further in the coming days. The civic body said several other properties have already been identified for major enforcement action.
The civic body has also launched a comprehensive field survey of PG buildings across the city. The exercise is intended to create a detailed database of such properties and determine further action based on their structural condition and compliance with applicable rules.
So far, approximately 1,252 buildings where PG facilities are operating, with an estimated 24,000 occupants have been identified. The MCD is giving particular attention to vulnerable buildings, including those with more than five storeys and RCC-framed structures, as well as buildings with four storeys and load-bearing brick-wall structures.
Based on field inspections, the buildings are being classified into four categories: visibly safe, visibly repairable – needs minor repairs; visibly repairable – needs major repairs; and visibly vulnerable/dangerous
The survey is currently underway across Delhi, with directions to complete the exercise by Thursday, September 10.
The MCD said it was closely monitoring the buildings identified during the survey and would take appropriate action wherever violations, structural vulnerabilities, unauthorised construction or other safety concerns are detected.
The intensified enforcement comes as the civic body faces increased pressure to identify and address potentially unsafe structures before they result in further loss of life, particularly in densely populated areas and buildings being used as PG accommodations.
(Manas Dasgupta)