Satya Niketan PG Collapse: Operator Denied Anticipatory Bail; MCD Suspends 3 Officials

A Delhi court on Thursday rejected the anticipatory bail plea of Satya Niketan PG operator Shubham Tyagi, days after seven people, mostly students, were killed when the multi-storey building being used as a paying guest accommodation collapsed.

The pre-arrest bail plea was rejected by Additional Sessions Judge Saurabh Pratap Singh Laler of Patiala House Court.

The development comes a day after police arrested one of the operators of the boys’ paying guest (PG) accommodation. The property was being operated by two business partners who had taken it on lease in August 2025.

Sudhanshu was apprehended on Wednesday morning, while Tyagi, the other operator, remains on the run.

Satya Niketan PG Building Collapse

On September 6, a multi-storey building being used as a private boys’ hostel collapsed in the student-dominated locality of Satya Niketan near Delhi University’s South Campus.

Seven people, including five students and two labourers, were killed in the collapse.

Earlier, police apprehended labour contractor Sanoj, who was allegedly supervising the “repair” work in the basement of the building. The work allegedly resulted in the collapse.

Delhi’s Fifth Building Crash This Year

The incident has drawn attention to safety norms pertaining to buildings in the national capital.

The Satya Niketan building collapse is the fifth in the city this year, taking the number of people who have lost their lives in such tragedies to 16, news agency PTI reported.

According to official figures and police statements, the 16 deaths have come from three incidents — six in Saket in May, three in Rohini in July and seven in the latest incident on September 6.

Officials said the underlying factors leading to the collapse of all the buildings are common. These include unregulated and unauthorised construction, additional floors, ageing structures and a lack of structural assessments.

Inadequate precautions during repair work and monsoon-related water damage to foundations, walls and basements are also among the factors.

MCD Suspends Three Building Department Officials

Meanwhile, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has placed three officials of its building department under suspension with immediate effect for dereliction of duty and negligence in the discharge of their official responsibilities regarding action against unauthorised construction.

As per orders issued by the MCD on Thursday, Ravinder Kumar, Assistant Engineer (AE) in the building department, South West zone (erstwhile Najafgarh Zone), has been placed under suspension as per applicable rules.

Suman Saurabh and Mohit Yadav, who work as junior engineers in the same department and zone, have also been suspended with immediate effect.

The action has been taken in view of dereliction of duty and negligence on the part of the officials, in accordance with the applicable service rules and orders of the competent authority.

MCD Demolishes 41 Buildings, Seals 61

Apart from suspending the three officials, the civic body has also carried out the demolition of 41 buildings and sealed 61 buildings found to be unauthorised.

The action comes days after a boys’ paying guest accommodation building collapsed on Sunday afternoon, killing at least seven people and injuring seven others.

MCD has made it clear that any negligence or dereliction of duty by officials in dealing with unauthorised construction will not be tolerated.

The Corporation has directed its field-level officials to remain vigilant and ensure timely action against violations in accordance with the prescribed rules and procedures.

The civic body has reiterated that strict accountability will be maintained at all levels and that officials found failing to discharge their duties properly will be liable for action as per applicable rules.

The Corporation will continue to take necessary enforcement and administrative measures to ensure compliance with building norms and to prevent unauthorised construction across Delhi.