PIL seeks hostels for students: Delhi High Court issues notice to government, DU
The Delhi High Court issued notices to the Centre, Delhi government and Delhi University in response to a public interest litigation demanding a time‑bound hostel development policy after a deadly hostel collapse. The court will hear the petition on September 25, while officials have yet to announce concrete steps on student accommodation.
- ✓The Delhi High Court issued notices to the Centre, Delhi government and Delhi University in response to a public interest litigation demanding a time‑bound hostel development policy after a deadly hostel collapse.
- ✓The court will hear the petition on September 25, while officials have yet to announce concrete steps on student accommodation.
- ✓Civic Domain: Categorized under education public notices.
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed the Union government, the Delhi administration and the University of Delhi to respond to a public interest litigation filed by National Students' Union of India president Vinod Jakhar. The petition seeks a statutory, time‑bound framework for building and expanding hostels, citing the recent Satya Niketan collapse that claimed seven lives, and urges the university to provide hostel facilities across all its colleges.
Jakhar’s filing, submitted through advocate Vimal Tyagi, highlights that Delhi University now enrolls roughly 1,32,435 students in regular programmes, a sharp rise from its 750‑student inception in 1922. The petition argues that despite the university’s own description as a “unitary, teaching and residential” institution, it lacks sufficient residential infrastructure for its current population. It proposes that colleges with available land develop or enlarge hostels, while those constrained by space should consider shared or cluster hostels serving neighbouring colleges.
The court has scheduled a hearing for September 25, alongside another PIL calling for an independent probe into the collapse and a city‑wide policy for regulating private PG and hostel facilities. No official response has been issued yet. Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu recently chaired a meeting with Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and senior officials to review building safety and student housing, underscoring the urgency of addressing accommodation shortfalls for thousands of students dependent on private lodging.
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| Issuing Authority | Delhi NCR Civic & Governance |
|---|---|
| Topic Category | EDUCATION |
| Jurisdiction | DL State |
| Publication Date | 9 September 2026 |