Delhi: Chargesheet filed against owner, 2 realtors in Saket building collapse
Six persons died, eight suffered injuries in May 30 incident
The Delhi Police have filed a chargesheet in connection with the May 30 building collapse at Said-ul-Ajaib village near the Saket Metro station here that left six people dead and several others injured.
The chargesheet was filed before the Saket court on August 13 and names three accused — building owner Karamvir Singh and builders Manish Khatri and Avinash Gupta. All three have been arrested by the police.
The accused have been charged under Sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 290 (negligent conduct during the pulling down, repair or construction of a building), 125(a) (causing hurt by a rash or negligent act endangering human life or personal safety), 125(b) (causing grievous hurt by such an act) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
According to the FIR registered at the Mehrauli police station, the building was located in Gali No. 5 of Said-ul-Ajaib. The police received information about the collapse at around 7:35 pm through patrolling personnel, who alerted their colleagues and emergency agencies. The first police call was recorded at 7:38 pm, following which rescue operations were launched.
The building housed several offices and a café. A woman also operated a kitchen adjacent to the structure. The FIR stated that people were dining at the time of the collapse, while staff were present in the kitchen. The structure collapsed on the kitchen, trapping several people beneath the debris. Rescue teams pulled out several victims, while others were found buried under the rubble.
The charge sheet will come up for consideration before the Judicial Magistrate First Class on August 22.
Earlier a Delhi Government-ordered magisterial inquiry had held the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) “primarily responsible” for the collapse of the commercial building, accusing the civic body of failing to act against illegal construction and fabricating official records to mislead the investigation.
The report, submitted by the South Delhi district magistrate to the Delhi Chief Secretary, concluded that the tragedy was preventable and resulted from unauthorised structural additions, including illegal third and fourth floors, coupled with the MCD’s failure to enforce building bylaws. The multi-storey building collapsed on May 30, leaving six dead and eight injured.
According to the inquiry, the MCD received a complaint regarding unauthorised construction on March 9, but failed to conduct inspections, verify violations or initiate demolition or preventive action for over two months. The report noted that the illegal third and fourth floors were officially booked only on May 27, although they had allegedly been constructed 3 months before the collapse.
The inquiry alleged that MCD officials created “false and fabricated” documents after the incident, including a show-cause notice dated May 27 and a work-stop notice dated May 29, to create a false impression that action had been taken before the incident.
