Two men accused of running a paying guest facility in the five-storey building that collapsed in Delhi’s Satya Niketan have been sent to 12 days of judicial custody by the Patiala House Court, according to a report by Jagran – New Delhi published on September 14.
The accused, identified as Sudhanshu and Shubham Tyagi, were produced before the court in connection with the building collapse reported in the Satya Niketan area on September 6. Delhi Police said both men were operating the PG facility in the building that collapsed.
The court’s order places the two accused in judicial custody while the investigation proceeds. The police are expected to question them in relation to the operation of the premises and the circumstances surrounding the collapse.
The incident has also prompted a wider assessment of paying guest accommodation across Delhi. A survey of 2,250 PG properties conducted after the Satya Niketan collapse found that 138 buildings required repairs, according to the report.
The survey identified the highest number of such buildings in the southern zone, where 90 PG properties were found to require repairs. The zone is reported to house around 47,000 people in PG accommodation. Four buildings were declared dangerous during the assessment.
The figures bring the court case into a broader building-safety context for Delhi’s rental housing market. PG accommodation often operates within existing residential buildings, making the condition of structures and the responsibilities of operators important parts of enforcement after a collapse. The report, however, does not provide details of the specific repairs required, the identities of the four buildings declared dangerous or the status of action against individual properties.
The Delhi High Court had directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to conduct a safety audit of PG accommodations within a week of the Satya Niketan incident. It also sought information on the regulatory framework governing these accommodations, including the rules that apply beyond the municipal corporation.
The court’s direction places the immediate investigation alongside questions about how PG properties are registered, inspected and monitored in Delhi. The next steps will depend on the ongoing police proceedings, the findings of the safety audit and the regulatory information sought by the Delhi High Court.
