The Delhi High Court on Friday ordered an inspection of the coaching centres operating in Mukherjee Nagar by a team of lawyers and the fire department to ensure compliance with the statutory requirements.

The court also asked the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to submit a status report stating the total number of coaching centres in the locality and posted the matter for further hearing after three weeks.

The order came on a batch of cases concerning the operation of coaching centres in the area, including a case initiated by it on its own after a fire broke out at a coaching centre there in June 2023.

During the hearing, the MCD counsel said six coaching centres had been sealed on account of being non-compliant with the applicable regulations and that action would be taken against other defaulters as well.

Last year, the court had registered a case on its own by taking suo motu cognisance of a fire that broke out at a coaching centre in Mukherjee Nagar in June in which several students were injured.

According to the police, around 250 students were attending classes at the building — Bhandari House — at the time.

The court had earlier noted that provisions under the Master Plan for Delhi (MPD) 2021 permit coaching classes in residential areas subject to certain conditions. A valid fire NOC is also a must for such coaching centres, it had said.

The court had, in July 2023, warned that “there cannot be a coaching centre running contrary to the MPD, 2021