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On July 27, the basement of Rau’s IAS Study Circle flooded, resulting in the deaths of Tanya Soni, Shreya Yadav, and Nevin Delvin. The case, initially handled by the Delhi Police, was transferred to the CBI on August 2 to ensure a thorough and transparent investigation.
A Delhi court ordered the six individuals involved in the tragic drowning of three civil services aspirants at a coaching center in Old Rajinder Nagar to be placed in judicial custody for 14 days. The Central Bureau of Investigation informed the court that further interrogation was not required and requested judicial custody for the accused. The incident occurred in the basement of the facility, which had flooded due to heavy rainfall.
Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Nishant Garg reviewed the request and ordered the six individuals to remain in judicial custody until September 18. They faced charges of criminal negligence, dereliction of duty, and corrupt practices, allegedly involving the coaching center’s management and possibly officials from local authorities.
The six accused—Abhishek Gupta, Deshpal Singh, Tajinder Singh, Harvinder Singh, Sarabjit Singh, and Parvinder Singh—were initially held in custody by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for four days. After this period ended, they were presented before the court.
The CBI's case underscored significant concerns about safety protocols and management practices at the coaching center, along with potential complicity by local authorities in permitting such hazardous conditions.
Background:
In its July 31 order, the High Court identified deficiencies in the state's financial and administrative infrastructure and raised concerns over the arrest of a passerby SUV driver. However, on the same day, Judicial Magistrate Vinod Kumar of the Tis Hazari Court denied bail to the SUV driver, Manuj Kathuria. Subsequently, on August 1, District Judge Rajesh Kumar Goel granted bail to Kathuria after the police withdrew the culpable homicide charges against him.
On August 2, the Delhi High Court bench, led by Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gadela, directed the CBI to investigate the deaths of the three civil service aspirants who drowned after the basement of the coaching center was flooded. The court had earlier summoned the Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and the Deputy Commissioner of Police to appear in person.
On August 24, the Delhi Court denied bail to four co-owners of the Rau IAS Coaching Center in connection with the recent tragic deaths of the three UPSC aspirants in Old Rajendra Nagar. Principal District and Sessions Judge Anju Bajaj Chandna observed that the basement, which had been designated for storage according to an occupancy certificate dated August 9, 2021, from the Fire Department, was illegally used as a study hall. While the court acknowledged systemic failures that contributed to the incident, it emphasized that the joint owners were not solely responsible.
Inputs: The Hindu
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