The Central government informed the Delhi High Court that a high-level committee has been constituted to investigate the roof collapse at Terminal 1 of Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, which resulted in the death of one person.
A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela was informed that the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation established the committee, which includes experts from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi.
The High Court was also informed that the government has taken cognizance of incidents at airports in Delhi, Jabalpur, and Rajkot. All airport operators across the country have been directed to carry out third-party audits of airport buildings through institutions like the IIT. Additionally, airport operators are required to conduct thorough evaluations of civil, electrical, and technical aspects of airport buildings annually before the onset of monsoons.
The central government further informed the Court that a first information report (FIR) has been registered for the offense of causing death due to negligence.
The court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking a Special Investigation Team (SIT) or Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) investigation into recent mishaps at airports. The PIL was filed following heavy rains that caused roof collapses at airports in Delhi, Jabalpur, and Rajkot. The June 27 collapse at Delhi airport resulted in one death and eight injuries.
The petitioner argued that these incidents raise questions about the structural integrity of the country’s airports.
After reviewing the Centre’s response and the measures implemented, the High Court decided to close the PIL.
