NEW DELHI:
A Delhi court has rejected the anticipatory bail plea of Shubham Tyagi, an accused in the Satya Niketan building collapse case in which seven people were killed.
Additional Sessions Judge Saurabh Partap Laler rejected Tyagi’s plea after considering the deaths in the incident, discrepancies in his claims and the need for further investigation into his role in running a paying guest facility in the building.
The five-storey building, which housed students and other residents, collapsed on September 6. Tyagi was allegedly co-running the PG facility along with co-accused Sudhanshu.
The court noted that Tyagi had not disclosed a rent agreement covering the second and third floors of the building in his anticipatory bail application. The investigating agency produced the agreement during the hearing.
The court observed that another rent agreement in favour of Sudhanshu covered the upper ground and first floors. Both agreements were executed minutes apart through the same stamp-vendor account, while each accused had signed as a witness on the other’s agreement.
According to the court, the circumstances indicated a joint venture in running the PG rather than a unilateral tenancy.
An injured student, Nitish Chib, also told investigators that he had taken accommodation from both Tyagi and Sudhanshu for a monthly rent of Rs 14,500. The student and others had allegedly complained about construction work, including noise and the cutting of iron rods on the ground floor.
The students were allegedly told that renovation work was under way and that the PG would be extended into the basement. They were also allegedly threatened with eviction if they continued to complain.
Tyagi claimed before the court that he was an advocate enrolled with the Bar Council of Delhi and was merely a friend who had invested money in the PG business. He maintained that he had no ownership, title or control over the building.
The court, however, said the investigation was still at an initial stage and that custodial interrogation was required to confront Tyagi with the co-accused, trace the money trail and establish the extent of his knowledge and consent regarding the structural work.
The court made it clear that its order should not be treated as an opinion on the merits of the case.
Earlier, the building owner Hariram, an 81-year-old retired Indian Air Force sergeant, and his 75-year-old wife Urmila were sent to judicial custody for 14 days. Their 52-year-old son Mahesh was remanded in police custody for two days.
Police said Mahesh had leased the property to Sudhanshu and Tyagi in August 2025, after which the two began operating a PG under the name ‘Hostel Daze’.
Investigators are also examining whether additional floors constructed in the old building for rental purposes had put excessive pressure on the existing structure and contributed to the collapse.