HC reserves order on plea challenging Hyatt Regency's licence

The Delhi High Court today reserved its verdict on a plea challenging its single judge's order allegedly overlooking a decision of city police's licensing department to renew hotel Hyatt Regency's licence.
"We will consider the matter and pass an appropriate order," a bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice R S Endlaw said.
During the hearing, counsel for appellant Gaurav Rishi, who had suffered injuries after accidentally falling from the luxury hotel's sixth floor to the fourth, said that the hotel is not following the law of land and a similar tragedy could take place with anyone.
He said that order of renewal of license is bad since its inception as it was issued on the day when deficiencies existed and even the status reports filed in pursuance to the order of the court also talks about gross violations on the part of the hotel.

He further alleged that the licensing department of Delhi Police renewed the hotel's licence by "blatantly ignoring" its own status reports revealing several violations of licencing conditions by Hyatt.
The bench, however, said that the status reports were asked to be filed in respect to FIRs and not about the renewal of license.

The counsel for appellant, however, argued that when violations existed on the very date and the matter was in the court, then how can the competent authority renew its licence.
"Mere filing of the case in the court doesn't mean that other authorities will raise their hands. If we go by this, then the entire machinery will come to standstill as every single day PILs are being filed on one subject or other," the bench said.

However, the counsel alleged that the single judge, instead of taking cognisance of the "fraudulent conduct", directed police to decide the show cause notice, and by doing so "virtually condoned" the "frauds" committed by the agency.