Delhi HC orders coaching center with over 20 students to vacate residential area, shift to commercial space

The Delhi High Court on Thursday forced a coaching center with over 20 students to relocate from a residential area to a commercial premises to ensure student safety and comply with fire safety regulations.

Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora, while responding to a petition filed by the Coaches Federation of India, said they were concerned about attending a coaching center located in a residential building that lacked necessary safety infrastructure. expressed serious concerns about the safety risks faced by students. Two stairs.

During the hearing, the judge emphasized the need for tutoring centers with a large number of students to operate in commercial rather than residential buildings.

“There must be hundreds of students attending your courses. You should not be in a residential building. Move to a commercial building.” the bench said verbally.

The court stressed the need to protect the lives of students and insisted that coaching centers should not compromise on safety standards.

Following a notification issued by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) in February 2020, the petition challenged the classification of coaching centers as “educational buildings” in the Uniform Building Bye-laws, 2016 (UBBL-2016).

Advocate Rajeshwari Hariharan, representing the petitioners, argued that this classification subjects coaching centers to stringent fire safety regulations, hampering their operation in existing residential buildings.

In response, the court directed that the petition be listed for further hearing before another divisional judge specialized in fire safety issues at training centres.

The court did not stay the 2020 notification, emphasizing the importance of public safety.

The counsel for the petitioner highlighted the difference between coaching centers and educational institutions, claiming that coaching centers mainly offer preparatory courses and do not confer degrees or diplomas upon completion.

The petition contends that the notification is arbitrary and violates the provisions of the Constitution, including Article 13(2), 19(1)(g) and 14, without taking into account the Master Plan of Delhi (MPD)-2021 and the State Building Code (NBC)-2016.

While the tutoring center said it was willing to comply with fire safety codes and be audited, DDA attorneys mentioned the upcoming release of MPD-2041, which is expected to comprehensively address these issues.