SC seeks states' response on builders violating fire safety norms
New Delhi, July 4: The Supreme Court on Wednesday sought response from all state governments on a PIL alleging flagrant violation of fire safety norms specified in the National Building Code, 2016, by builders, thus endangering the lives of people who purchased houses in residential complexes.
A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justice A.M. Khanwilkar and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud issued notice to all the states and Union Territories after the Central government told it that it is an issue related to all states.
An NGO, United Human Rights Federation, has approached the apex court, saying real estate developers, either knowingly or unknowingly, violating fire safety norms and also alleged that there appeared to be a collusion between authorities and developers in grant of fire safety clearance.
Advocate V.K. Biju, filing the PIL, said that every year, approximately 25,000 persons die or suffer injuries from fire accidents in buildings.
The plea states: "A total of 20,377 cases of fire accidents were reported in India in 2014, in which 19,513 died and 1,889 were injured. Of these cases of fire, more than 18 per cent were reported from residential buildings. Maharashtra with 4,805 fire accidents in 2014 accounted for nearly 24 per cent of the total such incidents."
The NGO, citing newspaper reports also claimed that there are flagrant violations in the buildings of the Supreme Court and Parliament House as far as fire safety management is concerned.
The plea sought strict implementation of the 2009 Supreme Court judgment which came after a fire tragedy in a school in Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu, where 93 students were charred.
The apex court had ordered that before granting recognition or affiliation, the state governments and Union Territories shall ensure that buildings are safe and secure from every angle and they are constructed according to the safety norms incorporated in the National Building Code of India.
It had also ordered that all existing government and private schools shall install fire extinguishing equipment within a period of six months, and school buildings be kept free from inflammable and toxic material.
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Second PUC results: Life convict clears exam with distinction, DGP lauds effort
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Bengaluru: A life convict lodged in Ballari Central Prison has successfully cleared the second PUC examination.
Ashok Kumar S, who appeared for the examination under prison escort, secured 481 marks out of 600, registering 80.1 percent.
Director General of Police (Prisons and Correctional Services), Alok Kumar (IPS), shared the development on his official ‘X’ handle, commending the inmate’s achievement.
In his post, he stated that it was heartening to see a life convict score over 80 percent in the examination, adding that the inmate had appeared from Ballari Central Prison under escort.
It’s heartening to see that one of our life convict prisoners Ashok has obtained 80.1% marks in PUC exam. He appeared under Prison escort from Ballari Central Prison for his exams.
— alok kumar (@alokkumar6994) April 9, 2026
Glad to see that Walls of the prison has not subdued his hopes for a better future. pic.twitter.com/Nzlcy076SR
He further noted that the achievement reflected that the “walls of the prison have not subdued his hopes for a better future.”
Alok Kumar in his post also shared the result sheet of Ashok.
The Karnataka School Examination and Assessment Board (KSEAB) declared the second PUC results for 2026 on April 9.
A total of 6,32,200 students appeared for the examination across all streams, of whom 5,46,698 passed, recording an overall pass percentage of 86.48 per cent.
