Owners didn’t engage ‘qualified’ persons for structural changes to Satya Niketan building: Cops

Delhi police told the Delhi High Court that owners of the collapsed Satya Niketan building did not hire qualified professionals for structural modifications, leading to the tragedy. The police investigation revealed that the building owners, Urmila Gupta, her husband Hari Ram Gupta, and their son Mahesh Gupta, had not obtained necessary permissions for the structural changes.

They also failed to engage a qualified structural engineer or architect and instead hired an unprofessional and unqualified contractor named Sanoj. Additionally, a further lapse was found as Sanoj did not take adequate safety precautions during the repair work. The owners had also leased out the premises commercially without obtaining the required permissions from the authorities. The police are currently investigating the roles of the six accused in the case.