Safety risk: HC orders closureof school bldg

Lucknow: A Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court has ordered closure of all academic activities within a week at the nearly 100-year-old Chutki Bhandar Girls Inter College in Husainganj after declaring the building unsafe.

The court directed the district inspector of schools (DIOS) to ensure that students of the institution are shifted to other schools. It also ordered adjustment of teachers and staff at other institutions while ensuring continuity of their service benefits.

A bench of Justice Alok Mathur and Justice Brij Raj Singh passed the order on a public interest litigation filed by Vijay Kumar Pandey. The petition stated that the college building was in a dilapidated condition and there was an imminent risk of collapse. The court had earlier directed the DIOS and engineers of the Public Works Department (PWD) to inspect the building and submit a report.

The inspection report submitted before the court stated that most walls of the building showed clear signs of ‘shear failure cracks’ and ‘structural failure’. After examining the report, the court held that the entire building was unsafe. The matter has been listed for further hearing on July 16, 2026, by which time a compliance report has been sought.