The Supreme Court on Thursday (July 9, 2026) said “slackness” by the civic authorities to take effective action against unauthorised constructions in the national capital and its neighbouring regions would not be tolerated.

A Bench of Justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and R. Mahadevan linked the clusters of unauthorised buildings in cramped areas of Delhi, Gurugram and even in Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh to the recent fatal fire incidents in Delhi’s Malviya Nagar on June 3 and on June 22 at Lucknow.

Senior advocate Ajit Sinha, whom the court had appointed amicus curiae, said several factors had converged to lead to the tragedies. He said the fire had blazed through a narrow multi-storey building in the congested Hauz Rani urban village of south Delhi’s Malviya Nagar which operated as a bed and breakfast with a restaurant on the ground floor.

“The final death toll reached 23, most of them were foreign nationals reportedly from Nigeria, Mozambique, Somalia, Liberia, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Turkmenistan who were staying near the Max and PSRI hospitals while their relatives received medical treatment; more than 50 people were rescued,” he pointed out.

Mr. Sinha said the fire in a multi-storeyed building situated in Lucknow’s Aliganj resulted in the death of 15 persons, many of them students aged between 16 and 25 years.

“We are particularly concerned with the conduct of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi [MCD] with regard to non-compliance of directions issued by the court in 2024 and specific directions of May 20,” the Bench addressed Additional Solicitor General S.D. Sanjay, appearing for the MCD.

The law officer agreed to file a detailed report before August 4, the next date of hearing.

The court cautioned that top officials of the civic bodies would be held personally liable if effective action was found not taken on the ground to check unauthorised constructions.

The court referred to media reports that 93% buildings in Gurugram failed in complying with fire safety norms and asked the executive head of the civic body of the city to be present on the next date of hearing with a report detailing the action taken.

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday assured her Uttarakhand counterpart Pushkar Singh Dhami that a fair and impartial investigation will be conducted into the Malviya Nagar fire incident, which claimed 22 lives, and no innocent person will face injustice.

Ms. Gupta’s remarks came in response to concerns raised by Mr. Dhami over the arrest of Keshav Negi, a 65-year-old cook from Uttarakhand, on Saturday. Mr. Dhami sought a fair investigation into the incident. “I want to assure you that the investigation is being conducted with complete impartiality, transparency, and in accordance with due legal process,” Ms. Gupta stated in a post on X.

She added that the Delhi government is committed to ensuring that no guilty person escapes justice.

“All relevant agencies have been directed to ensure a fair and thorough investigation based on facts, evidence, and the law. Our sole objective is to establish the truth and ensure just action,” said the Delhi Chief Minister.

Earlier, Mr. Dhami said he spoke to Ms. Gupta about Mr. Negi’s arrest and was promised that no innocent person will be wrongfully implicated.

“Ms. Rekha Guptaji has assured that no injustice will be done,” Mr. Dhami wrote on X, adding that he had full confidence that the Delhi government and the agencies concerned will uncover the truth through an impartial investigation.

The Uttarakhand CM also spoke to Mr. Negi’s daughter and assured her of all possible assistance.

Meanwhile, the Uttarakhand Congress condemned the arrest, alleging that it was an attempt by the Delhi government and the police to shield the real culprits.

(With inputs from PTI)

Lavkesh Bajaj, the owner of Flourish Stay B&B facility in south Delhi’s Hauz Rani village, where a fire killed 21 people, had previously been arrested in a separate case involving “undocumented” Bangladeshi immigrants, Delhi Police said on Friday.

According to the Central district police, Mr. Bajaj was arrested at the Paharganj police station in January 2025 for allowing Bangladeshi nationals to use his residential address to obtain Indian identity documents. 

Officers found that two Bangladeshi nationals – Sweety Sarkar alias Beauty Hawladar and her daughter Pushpo Sarkar alias Pushpo Hawladar – along with Ms. Pushpo’s minor son, were illegally residing in a house in Paharganj using fraudulently obtained Indian documents, including passports and Aadhaar cards.

The investigation revealed that Ms. Sweety had obtained an Indian passport by furnishing the address of a property in Chhattarpur Enclave. Police verification found that the address belonged to Mr. Bajaj.

The accused had admitted that he knowingly permitted them to use his address for obtaining Indian identity documents in exchange for money and facilitating their illegal stay in the country, the police said. The three accused were later arrested and a chargesheet was filed against them.

Police arrested Mr. Bajaj on Wednesday and booked him under BNS sections pertaining to culpable homicide not amounting to murder and grievous hurt, among others.

On Thursday, a city court remanded him in police custody for four days.

A Delhi court on Thursday (June 4, 2026) sent hotel owner Lavkesh Bajaj to four days’ police custody in connection with a blaze that erupted at a hotel in the Malviya Nagar area in Delhi, leaving 21 people dead and dozens injured.

Judicial Magistrate Bhanu Pratap Singh allowed the Delhi Police’s plea seeking the accused’s custodial interrogation for four days.

Police have registered a case under sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 326(g) (offence of mischief by fire), 324(5) (wrongful damage of property), 125(a) (negligence act that endangers human life and safety), 125(b) (grievous hurt by negligence) and 287 (negligence conduct with respect to fire) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Many of the victims of the fire that broke out in Flourish Stay B&B on Wednesday (June 3) morning were foreign nationals staying at the hotel while attending to relatives undergoing treatment at nearby hospitals. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, officials said.