NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on January 7 directed authorities to urgently address the concerns about inadequate fire safety measures in hotels, restaurants and other hospitality establishments across the capital. However, the authorities concerned are yet to comply with the order, the counsel associated with the case said.
A bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia was hearing a PIL that raised the issue, seeking formulation of a comprehensive action plan to strengthen safety standards.
The bench had disposed of the plea, directing the Delhi government, MCD and NDMC to treat the PIL as a representation and take an “appropriate decision with expedition”.
The court had directed devising “with expedition” an action plan to put in place the safety measures so that fire incidents may be avoided.
Advocate Arpit Bhargava had filed the petition in the aftermath of 25 people losing their lives in a nightclub fire in Goa on December 6, 2025. He, however, claimed that he sent repeated reminders to the chief secretary of the Delhi government, the commissioner of the MCD and the chairperson of the NDMC to comply with the order, but to no avail.
Terming the inaction as “complete apathy”, he claimed that he sent the last reminder to the authorities on May 5, “beseeching them to comply with the court’s directions in light of several fire incidents in the past few months”.
