NGO Kutumb moves Delhi High Court over alleged negligence by authorities in Karol Bagh fire.
Seeks court-monitored investigation, closure of unsafe establishments.
New Delhi: Today, on July 8, in light of the recent fire tragedy at Vishal Mega Mart in Karol Bagh, Delhi, which claimed two lives, the NGO Kutumb has approached the Delhi High Court.
The NGO has filed an application seeking a court-monitored investigation into the alleged negligence by the store management, Delhi Police, Delhi Fire Services, and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).
The fire incident occurred on July 5, 2025, and is suspected to have been caused by a short circuit, though an official report is still awaited.
This application by Kutumb is connected to an earlier case already pending in the Delhi High Court, related to a July 27, 2024 incident in Old Rajinder Nagar, where students reportedly died due to a basement flood at a UPSC coaching institute following a drain burst.
The NGO has highlighted serious lapses in how safety rules are being implemented in the city. It has questioned how licenses and No Objection Certificates (NOCs) are being issued to commercial buildings running in highly congested areas without following legal safety norms.
Kutumb has urged the High Court to examine whether these establishments, including Vishal Mega Mart, were operating without valid permissions, thereby putting lives at risk.
The plea filed before the Court asks for directions to investigate the actions — or inaction — of officials from the MCD, Delhi Police, and Fire Services, and whether they failed in their duty to enforce fire safety regulations.
It specifically seeks a probe into the accountability of the authorities who are expected to ensure public safety.
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The NGO has further sought directions from the Court to check:
- Whether Vishal Mega Mart and nearby commercial units in Karol Bagh possess valid NOCs
- Which other establishments in the area are operating without licenses
- Immediate closure of all such unlicensed entities, including shopping centres, restaurants, and coaching institutes until a proper investigation report is filed
It has also asked the Court to order Delhi Police to file a status report on the FIR registered in the Vishal Mega Mart fire case, and to secure CCTV footage from July 4 to July 5 for a thorough analysis of the events that led to the fire.
Tragically, one of the victims, 25-year-old Dhirender Pratap, was found dead inside a lift, and is suspected to have suffocated to death.
According to his family, his last messages to his brother indicated he was trapped and gasping for breath, which paints a heart-breaking picture of how poorly emergency protocols were executed.
A second charred body was later recovered during the firefighting operations. While the exact cause of the fire is still under investigation, preliminary suspicion points to a short circuit as the likely cause.
The Delhi High Court is expected to hear this matter soon.
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