The Delhi High Court on Monday came down heavily on the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and Delhi University (DU) over the Satya Niketan PG building collapse. “You can’t escape responsibility,” the court told the authorities, as the police arrested three members of the building owner’s family.The death toll in the collapse has risen to seven. The MCD suspended five officials — Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Kumar and four engineers — from its South Zone, where the incident took place.Expressing anguish over the tragedy involving students, a Division Bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia said accountability did not end with the building owners and extended to the MCD and DU. It also flagged the “very pathetic” state of hostel facilities for students coming to Delhi for higher education.“Fifty young students who are at the threshold of their lives… Majority of them are perhaps still lying under the debris. There can’t be anything more sad than this,” the Bench observed, directing authorities to intensify rescue efforts to save those trapped beneath the rubble.The court directed the MCD to conduct an inquiry “at the highest level” to ascertain whether the building had been constructed with valid approval and whether it conformed to the sanctioned plan.It also directed the civic body to identify officials responsible for any lapses and place on record the action proposed against erring officers.The police arrested the building owner, Hariram Gupta (81), his wife Urmila Gupta (75) and their son Mahesh Gupta (52). The police said the property was registered in Urmila’s name, while it was being managed by her husband and son.Gupta, a retired Indian Air Force sergeant, has electricity connections for two floors of the building in his name. Mahesh runs a hardware and paint shop. Gupta was apprehended from Bhiwadi, Rajasthan, following a manhunt involving 10 police teams. A police officer said he was being questioned in connection with the case.Sources said Gupta was in Gurugram when the building collapsed on Jattvibeday. Soon after the incident, he allegedly switched off his mobile phone and left the city.Lamenting that such incidents recur in the national capital, the Bench questioned the government on steps taken to prevent them and sought a roadmap to ensure similar tragedies do not occur in future.Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, MCD and Delhi Police, told the court that all possible measures were being taken and rescue operations were in full swing.Mehta also raised concern over the circulation of videos showing injured people and those trapped under the debris on social media.“Death can’t be sensationalised; tragedy can’t be sensationalised,” he said, seeking directions against the sharing of such content. The Bench said it would examine the issue.The observations came during the hearing of a PIL filed by Aniket Kumar Gupta, which sought Rs 1 crore compensation for the families of those killed, an independent probe into the collapse and a structural safety audit of PGs and hostels across Delhi. The petition alleged that repair, renovation or construction work was underway at the site shortly before the collapse.The court sought responses from the Centre, MCD and DU, and asked the authorities to disclose how many students were residing in such PG accommodations.DU was specifically directed to state the number of students it admits and how many are provided hostel accommodation, bringing the university’s housing shortfall under judicial scrutiny.“PGs are not only very dangerous, but they are causing a threat to the life and security of the students, and this is because of an absolutely inadequate number of hostels for the students,” it observed.Asking Mehta to impress upon the government the need for more hostels, the court said students were the country’s future and the current situation was unacceptable.The court also called for a stronger regulatory mechanism for PG accommodations, flagging reckless construction and alleged violations of civic norms. “If the permission is for two storeys, the construction is made for six, and this collapse is probably a result of that,” it remarked.The MCD was directed to inform the court whether any statutory or executive regulations specifically govern PG facilities in Delhi, while the government was asked to explain the measures it proposes to prevent similar incidents.In a related development, the Satya Niketan tragedy was cited before the High Court in an application seeking an early hearing of a pending PIL on Delhi’s administrative, physical and financial infrastructure.The application, moved through advocate Rudra Vikram Singh, sought advancement of the hearing from November 6, arguing that the September 6 collapse had once again highlighted concerns over unauthorised construction, structural safety and enforcement of building regulations.The PIL arising from the Satya Niketan tragedy is scheduled to be heard on September 25.