Bar Council of Delhi moves HC

NEW DELHI: The Delhi HC directed civic authorities on Tuesday to carry out a joint inspection after the Bar Council of Delhi filed a plea highlighting the flooding of its office in the Siri Fort Institutional area following heavy rains in the capital last month.

The lawyers’ body said its office basement was completely submerged with more than 10 feet of water following the rainfall in the intervening night of June 27 and 28, and the flooding was of such a magnitude that it not only damaged the building but also resulted in loss of data stored by its information technology (IT) department. Justice Sanjeev Narula criticized the “shattered image of a world-class city” and ordered a joint inspection by the MCD, DDA, and DJB, following record rainfall on June 27. Officials of superintendent engineer rank or higher are to inspect the petitioner’s premises and surrounding areas, with the Bar Council of Delhi’s honorary secretary present. Senior advocate Ramesh Gupta, representing the petitioner, highlighted that a nearby drain overflowed due to lack of cleaning, causing significant damage.

The Bar Council’s petition seeks a standard operating procedure to prevent future crises and claims previous requests for de-silting were ignored. On June 28, the basement of the petitioner’s office in the Siri Fort Institutional Area was flooded, damaging the building and destroying crucial IT data. The next hearing is scheduled for July 30.