Delhi HC Directs MCD to Act on Removing Hazardous Iron Grilles in Residential Buildings

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday referred a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking the removal of hazardous cage-like iron grilles and illegal projections in residential buildings to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) for action. Highlighting safety concerns from past deadly blazes in Vivek Vihar and Palam, the court directed the MCD Commissioner to make an informed decision on a pending representation addressing how blocked escape routes obstruct emergency evacuations.

A division bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia declined to pass direct orders on the matter, noting that it could not rule on such an "omnibus" plea. The bench advised the petitioner, Ashish Jain, that specific examples of violations must be provided for the court to hear the case.

"It is like demanding to remove poverty from India. We can’t hear such an omnibus prayer. You have to give specific examples in your petition," the bench told the petitioner during the Wednesday hearing.

Instead of entertaining the broad petition, the High Court directed the MCD Commissioner to take an informed decision on a representation already pending with the civic body. The representation had been previously sent to the MCD by the same petitioner.

In his plea, Ashish Jain submitted that repeated residential fire tragedies across Delhi have exposed a serious safety concern. He argued that the loss of life in these incidents is often not just from the fire itself, but because of smoke-filled buildings, enclosed balconies, iron grilles, and blocked escape routes that prevent timely rescue.

To support the plea, the petitioner cited several recent fire tragedies in the capital. This included the Vivek Vihar blaze on May 3, where nine people lost their lives after being trapped inside a residential building filled with flames and smoke. The plea also highlighted a fire in Palam in March that killed nine members of a family.