Nearly five months before the devastating fire at a bed-and-breakfast accommodation on Wednesday that claimed at least 21 lives, the Delhi High Court had directed city authorities to urgently address concerns over inadequate fire safety measures in hotels, restaurants and other hospitality establishments across the capital.

However, authorities are yet to comply with the court's January 7 order, which required them to examine a public interest litigation (PIL) that raised the issue and formulate a comprehensive action plan to strengthen safety standards and prevent fire-related tragedies, according to petitioner Arpit Bhargava.

The order assumes renewed significance in the wake of the fire at Flourish Stay hotel in Hauz Rani, Malviya Nagar, one of the deadliest fire incidents in the city in recent years.

Bhargava claimed he sent repeated reminders to the Chief Secretary of the Delhi government, the Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and the Chairperson of New Delhi Municipal Council to comply with the order, but to no avail.

In his PIL filed in the aftermath of 25 people losing their lives in a fire in a nightclub in Goa on December 6, 2025, he had claimed that several establishments were running in Delhi in flagrant violation of safety protocols.

"There has been no decision whatsoever despite clear directions from the court to prepare an action plan. I had even sent reminders which were not taken into consideration. Complete apathy," Bhargava, a practising lawyer, told PTI.

He said that the latest reminder to the authorities was sent on May 5, beseeching them to comply with the court's directions in light of several fire incidents in the past few months.

On January 7, a bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia had ordered the respondents in the petition -- Delhi government, MCD and NDMC -- to treat Bhargava's PIL as a representation and take an appropriate decision.

"We dispose of this writ petition with the direction that the writ petition itself shall be treated to be a representation by the petitioner, which shall be attended to and an appropriate decision thereon shall also be taken by the respondents with expedition.

"The decision to be taken under this order by the authorities concerned shall be as per rules/laws, and shall address the issues and devise an action plan to put in place the safety measures so that fire incidents and other accidents may be avoided.

"We provide that the decision under this order shall be taken with expedition," the bench had ordered.

The petition stated that Bhargava had acquired knowledge about the "inadequate and/or non-existent fire safety" protocols in hotels, clubs and restaurants by personally visiting places like Hauz Khas and Rajouri Garden, where many such establishments operated in narrow lanes, with only one entry/exit.

The PIL claimed that while compliance with the Delhi Fire Services Act 2007 and its rules, the National Building Code 2016, and the Unified Building Bye-laws was mandatory for all hotels, clubs, and restaurants, the authorities were lax in their implementation.

He relied on a newspaper report to state that for about 1,000 licensed hospitality establishments in Delhi, only 52 hotels and 38 clubs held a no-objection certificate (NOC) for fire safety from the Delhi Fire Services.

Bhargava, in his plea, highlighted that once an NOC for fire safety is given to an establishment, it is valid for three years, but any violation after approval often goes unchecked in the absence of regular inspections.

The PIL said unauthorised hotels and restaurants posed a great risk to public life and safety, and time-bound action was required to be taken by the city authorities to plug any loopholes and avert any disaster.

The PIL had sought directions to the authorities to conduct a safety audit of all hotels, clubs, restaurants, etc including fire safety, and to take remedial action.

Besides seeking formulation of a compensation scheme for those affected by fire incidents in hotels, it also prayed for fixing of accountability on officials who fail to regularly inspect hotels, clubs, restaurants, etc.