The Central government on Thursday opposed the plea filed by former IPS officer and former Puducherry Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi seeking to be impleaded in a public interest litigation (PIL) before the Delhi High Court concerning the Satya Niketan building collapse that claimed seven lives.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia observed that Bedi’s extensive experience as an administrator could assist the Court in examining the issues arising from the incident.

“She is a conscientious citizen of the country with ample experience. It is a matter of larger public interest... We can always utilise her long experience. Don't take the matter adversarially,” the Court remarked.

Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma, appearing for the Central government, however, told the Bench that he had instructions to oppose Bedi’s impleadment application.

Sharma also submitted that Bedi had already expressed views on the issues involved in the case and had, therefore, prejudged the matter. He said the Centre would file its reply opposing her application.

The Court granted the government three days to file its response to Bedi’s plea.

The PIL relates to the collapse of a paying guest (PG) accommodation in Delhi’s Satya Niketan, which resulted in the deaths of seven people. The petition was filed by Aniket Kumar Gupta, who has sought compensation of ₹1 crore for the families of the deceased, along with a structural audit of PG accommodations and hostels in Delhi.

During the previous hearing on September 7, the High Court sought responses from the authorities and directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to conduct an inquiry at the highest level to determine whether the collapsed building had been constructed with valid permissions.

The Court had also sought details regarding the number of students residing in PG accommodations and asked the MCD to inform it whether any statutory or executive regulations govern PG accommodations in Delhi.

The matter will next be heard on September 25.