AMN / NEW DELHI
Pained over the recent fire incident in Delhi and Mumbai Supreme Court on Monday observed that “human life does not seem to have great value”.
“There are people in Delhi who are violating laws with impunity. Look at Bawana… So human life does not seem to have great value… And Mumbai also…”, a bench of Justice Madan B Lokur and Justice Deepak Gupta said.
The court was hearing a plea on sealing of commercial premises on the orders of the Monitoring Committee appointed by it. The committee has been at the forefront of the recent sealing drives in south Delhi.
17 people had died in a fire on Saturday, which broke out at an illegal firecracker packaging unit in Bawana. On December 28, a blaze at a rooftop pub in Mumbai had claimed 14 lives. The bench also pulled up the civic bodies in the capital, and asked the counsel: “Laws are being violated in South Delhi. What are you doing?” The counsel replied that “there is nothing illegal”.
This prompted the bench to ask: “So you mean all is legal?” The counsel replied: “We are taking action.” But the court continued to quiz him: “What action are you taking against hotels and motels on MG road?” The counsel replied that he will file an affidavit in this regard.
The court also referred to some pubs in Rajouri Garden area, saying that “they are so dangerous”. Meanwhile, appearing for some marble godowns in Chattarpur, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi said the procedure followed for sealing was “unfair” and that no notices were given before civic authorities before the crackdown.